Hydrology of buried crystalline rock at Savannah River Plant near Aiken, South Carolina

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5251507· OSTI ID:5251507

Marine, I W

The purpose of this report is to present the results of hydrologic investigations that were made on buried crystalline rock at the Savannah River Plant in connection with an investigation of the feasibility of storing high-level radioactive waste in artificially excavated chambers in the rock. The methods pursued in this investigation may be applicable to other investigations of low permeability metamorphic and igneous rocks. Fractures occurring in single boreholes were investigated by core inspection, geophysical logs, packer tests, and in-hole tracer tests. The correlation of fractures between holes was based on the rapidity of water level response to hydraulic activities in nearby wells and on an in-hole tracer test conducted in one boring while a nearby boring was being pumped. Values for hydraulic conductivity and other hydraulic parameters were determined from laboratory tests, packer tests, pumping tests, a two-well tracer test, and a numerical model that duplicated the results of a year-long pumping test. Dispersivity of the fractured crystalline rock was determined using a two-well tracer test. Water geochemistry and isotropic composition were evaluated. The age of the water was determined to be about 840,000 years. The average velocity of regional flow in crystalline rock is about 0.2 ft/y.

• Research Organization: Department of Energy, Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Operations Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 5251507
• Report Number(s): DOE/SR-WM-79-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
510500 -- Environment
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
AGE ESTIMATION
BOREHOLES
CAVITIES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
DRILL CORES
FAILURES
FLOW RATE
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FRACTURES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GROUND WATER
HYDRAULICS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
MANAGEMENT
MECHANICS
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
ROCKS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
WELL LOGGING