Geochemical investigation of UMTRAP designated site at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. [Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project]
UMTRAP is an acronym for Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania site was utilized from 1911 to 1922 and from 1930 to 1942, first to remove radium from sedimentary uranium ore, and later to remove uranium from ore as well as process various materials, ceasing operations in 1957. Of the three areas, Area A is the former mill site and is occupied in part by present industrial activities. Area B is comprised of mill residues mixed with sediment dredged from Chartiers Creek, a disturbed terrace along Chartiers Creek, and a ditch on the north side. The ditch contains water with the highest concentrations of contaminants measured in the Canonsburg site. It is believed that unprocessed ore is deposited here and effluent from leaks in a sewer line across the north edge of Areas A and B carry contaminants from heavily contaminated drains in the buildings of Area A. Area C contains the former liquid disposal lagoon, and the central part of the area is highly contaminated to a depth of about 3 meters. Area C contains the most concentrated waste material with maximum levels (except for the ditch on the north side of Area B) of all the contaminants distributed throughout the area. Contamination outside the site is limited. The presence of contaminants in the ditches, in the soils on the river bank, and below the tailings pile is not attributed to migration processes, but rather to the presence of ore materials and concentrated wastes mechanically dispersed throughout the area.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado Univ., Denver (USA). Center for Environmental Studies; Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry Research, Inc., Rapid City, SD (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS04-76ET44206
- OSTI ID:
- 5362247
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/AL-226/UMTRA; ON: DE82003254; TRN: 82-015692
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
MILL TAILINGS
GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS
BACKGROUND RADIATION
PENNSYLVANIA
SITE SURVEYS
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION III
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIATIONS
SOLID WASTES
SURVEYS
TAILINGS
USA
WASTES
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
050400 - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing