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U.S. Department of Energy
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Evaluation of isotope migration: land burial. Water chemistry at commercially operated low-level radioactive waste disposal sites. Progress report No. 7, October--December 1977

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6569869· OSTI ID:6569869
Trench water samples from the commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal sites at Maxey Flats, Kentucky, and West Valley, New York, were collected, and the bacterial populations were enumerated. The range of bacterial populations in six trench water samples were 400 to 24,000 aerobic and 90 to 15,000 anaerobic bacteria/ml. Most of the bacteria isolated from the anaerobic culture plates were facultative anaerobes, although a few strict anaerobes were also present. Mixed bacterial populations isolated from the trench waters were able to grow anaerobically utilizing the carbon and nitrogen sources present in the trench waters. Trench waters supplemented with mineral salts supported only a modest increase in growth of these bacteria. The results of this study indicate that bacteria are active in the trenches, and the radioactivity and organic compounds present in the trenches are not toxic to these bacteria.
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-02-0016
OSTI ID:
6569869
Report Number(s):
BNL-NUREG--50861
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English