Investigation of radionuclide release from Solid Waste Disposal Area 3, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6315861· OSTI ID:6315861

Stueber, A. M.; Webster, D. A.; Munro, I. L.; Farrow, N. D.; Scott, T. G.

Radionuclide release from Solid Waste Disposal Area (SWDA) 3 has been studied through the analysis of surface and ground waters from the local drainage areas. SWDA 3 is located in the Northwest Tributary drainage basin, a part of the White Oak Creek drainage; /sup 90/Sr is the only radionuclide being discharged in solution in the main stream. Water-level measurements in wells around SWDA 3 suggest the presence of a ground-water divide beneath the southwestern end of the disposal area. Ground water below this area may be moving southwestward toward the Raccoon Creek drainage system. Strontium-90 activity has been detected in this watershed, discharging from a seep adjacent to a Raccoon Creek tributary stream about 640 m southwest of SWDA 3. It appears that /sup 90/Sr is moving through ground-water flow to the northeast and to the southwest of SWDA 3 and that this direction of movement is related to bedrock structure. The trend of a line connecting the two seeps passes through the disposal area and is parallel to bedrock strike. Information from core-hole logs and televiewer logs suggests that /sup 90/Sr in ground water may be moving through solution channels near the contact between units F and G of the Chickamauga Limestone. The apparent extent of migration of /sup 90/Sr in bedrock has implications regarding potential underground radionuclide movement in Melton Valley.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6315861
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-7323; ON: DE81030260
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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