Savannah River Laboratory seepage basins: Environmental information document
The basins are located in the northwestern section of the Savannah River Plant in the 700 Area. The four basins are out of service and are awaiting closure. When in operation, the basins received a total of 128,820 m/sup 3/ of low-level radioactive wastewater from laboratories located in Buildings 735-A and 773-A. Wastewater with radioactivity less than 100 d/m/mL alpha and/or 50 d/m/mL beta-gamma was discharged to the basins. Low concentrations of radioactive and nonradioactive constituents were found in the sediments beneath the seepage basins and a statistical analysis of monitoring data from the six water-table wells indicates elevated levels of chloride, manganese, and sodium in the groundwater. The closure options considered for the basins are waste removal and closure, no waste removal and closure, and no action. The environmental impact evaluation indicates that the human health risks for all closure options are low. Radioactive risk is dominated by tritium, but there is no significant difference between the closure options because the tritium has leached from the site prior to the closure action. The most significant noncarcinogenic risk results from arsenic. All atmospheric and occupational risks are low. The primary calculated ecological effect is due to direct contact with the basin sediments in the no action option. The relative costs for the various options are $9 million for waste removal and closure, $2.9 million for no waste removal and closure with cap, $2.4 million for no waste removal and closure without cap, and $0.26 million for no action. 36 refs., 27 figs., 98 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 6309144
- Report Number(s):
- DPST-85-688; ON: DE87013042
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AIR
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
ARSENIC
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CERIUM 141
CERIUM 144
CERIUM ISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
CURIUM 242
CURIUM 244
CURIUM ISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUIDS
GASES
GROUND WATER
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PONDS
POPULATIONS
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RARE EARTH ISOTOPES
RARE EARTH NUCLEI
RISK ASSESSMENT
RUTHENIUM 103
RUTHENIUM 106
RUTHENIUM ISOTOPES
SAMPLING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SEDIMENTS
SEMIMETALS
SETTLING PONDS
SOILS
STRONTIUM 89
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
TRITIUM
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES