Hydrogeology of a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5352005

Foster, J B; Erickson, J R; Healy, R W

The Sheffield low-level radioactive-waste disposal site is located on 20 acres of rolling terrain 3 miles southwest of Sheffield, Illinois. The site covers parts of three small basins drained by three intermittent streams which empty into a tributary to Lawson Creek. Drainage divides for the basins also delineate the ground-water divides. Precipitation that falls within the basins is the source of ground-water recharge. Precipitation averages 35 inches per year. Recharge to the saturated zone is estimated to be 2 inches per year. Runoff is estimated to be 9 inches per year and evapotranspiration 24 inches. The shallow hydrogeologic system is composed of glacial sediments whose complex stratigraphy was defined from a study of continuous core samples from 58 test wells. A thick sequence of Pennsylvanian shale and mudstone bedrock isolates the regional ground-water aquifers below from the hydrogeologic system in the overlying glacial deposits. Two ground-water flow paths were identified. The primary path conveys ground water from the site to the east through the pebbly-sand unit; a secondary path conveys ground water to the south and east. Although the pebbly-sand unit provides the potential for rapid migration of radionuclides, it also minimizes water-level fluctuations and thus the risk of the water surface rising into the trenches. Results of a digital computer model indicate that the areal extent of the pebbly-sand unit, hydraulic conductivity, and recharge rates are controlling factors in ground-water movement. The range in hydraulic conductivities for the various lithologic units in the hydrogeologic system prevented development of a predictive model for this site. Tritium is the only radionuclide known to be migrating. In the southeast corner of the site, a migration rate of approximately 25 feet per year was calculated. 23 refs., 48 figs., 7 tabs.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Urbana, IL (USA). Water Resources Div.
• OSTI ID: 5352005
• Report Number(s): USGS/WRI-83-4125; ON: TI85902096
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
520301 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Water-- (1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DATA
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION V
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
HYDROLOGY
ILLINOIS
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
STRATIGRAPHY
TRITIUM
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES