Environmental radiological studies in 1989 near the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Generating Station

Technical Report · Thu Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6273385· OSTI ID:6273385

Robison, W L; Wong, Kai M; Jones, H E

In December 1988, the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) asked the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Environmental Sciences Division (ENV) to collect sediment, water,and fish samples downstream from the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Generating Station for analysis of radionuclides to compare with results from earlier surveys in 1984 through 1987 (1--8). ENV was, however, asked to reduce the total number of sample collections to a minimum in this study because of financial constraints. The proposal ENV submitted for the 1989 Environmental Radiological Studies downstream of the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Generating Station reflected this reduction, but we believe, nevertheless, the 1989 efforts do allow us to make some meaningful comparisons with the previous studies. Cesium-137 is the most significant radionuclide still observed downstream from the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant. Only occasionally is {sup 134}Cs or {sup 60}CO observed. In 1989, the concentration of {sup 137}Cs in the water and fish decreased with distance from the plant to the same level that is was in 1987, and was lower than it had been from 1984 through 1986. The concentration ratio (CR) for {sup 137}Cs in fish is between 1000 and 1500, which is below the NRC default value of 2000. Physical mixing in the creek environment has moved the {sup 137}Cs deeper into the sediment column, thereby reducing the concentration in the top 12 cm relative to that in previous years. 8 refs., 18 figs., 9 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6273385
• Report Number(s): UCRL-ID-106111; ON: DE91004991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540330* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560162 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CALIFORNIA
CESIUM 134
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
COMPILED DATA
CONTAMINATION
CORRELATIONS
DATA
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION IX
FISHES
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RANCHO SECO-1 REACTOR
RANCHO SECO-2 REACTOR
REACTORS
SAMPLING
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES