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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Numerical modeling of ground-water flow at Savannah River Plant

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5519945

The Savannah River Plant is a Department of Energy facility operated primarily to produce nuclear materials for national defense. Solid low-level radioactive waste generated during plant operations is buried in trenches in specific areas designated for this purpose. A three-dimensional finite-difference numerical model has been developed to study the ground-water flow system in the saturated zone underlying these waste burial areas. A steady-state flow model has been calibrated and indicates that the average horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the underlying water-bearing formations is 1.8 meters per day (5.9 feet per day). Given the hydraulic gradients in the area, flow velocities in the range of 10 to 22 meters per day (30 to 70 ft per year) were calculated and are generally supported by aquifer pumping and tracer tests. 8 references, 12 figures.

Research Organization:
Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-76SR00001
OSTI ID:
5519945
Report Number(s):
DP-1638; ON: DE84002443
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English