Water balance lysimetry at a nuclear waste site

Conference · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5509845

Campbell, M D; Gee, G W; Kirkham, R R ^[1]; Phillips, S J; Wing, N R ^[2]

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1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
2. Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (USA)

Lysimeters measured effects of soil, vegetation, and climate on water balance and groundwater recharge at a nuclear-waste site in arid-southcentral Washington State, USA. Data from 4 lysimeter sites illustrate water balance measurements taken over a period of 20 years. Soil sample, weight change, and neutron probe measurements monitored influences of vegetation and precipitation on water balance. Lysimeter drainage was measured directly where possible and was otherwise inferred from deep storage changes and soil moisture tensions. Apparently, deep-rooted plants prevented drainage from the 18-m-deep, sand-filled lysimeter, as water storage fluctuated near the surface but not below the 5-m depth. In contrast, up to 120 mm of water drained from coarse sands in a 7.6-m-deep, bare-surface lysimeter and 100 mm drained from a 1.5-m-deep, vegetated (grass-covered) lysimeter when annual precipitation reached 281 mm. Lysimeters containing silt loam soil did not drain (i.e., zero recharge potential), even when total precipitation was 320 mm/y and the surface was bare. Soil water storage capacity, precipitation timing and amount, and vegetative cover and rooting depth affect water balance and groundwater recharge. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5509845
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-18510; CONF-910794-6; ON: DE91015532
• Resource Relation: Conference: International symposium on lysimetry, Honolulu, HI (United States), 23-25 Jul 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GROUND WATER
RECHARGE
LOAM
HYDROLOGY
SAND
AQUIFERS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CLIMATES
DRAINAGE
FLUID FLOW
HANFORD RESERVATION
LYSIMETERS
MOISTURE
NEUTRON PROBES
PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SOILS
WASHINGTON
WATER TABLES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION X
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROBES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTES
WATER
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
540210 - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)
540310 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)