Radiological survey of the inactive uranium-mill tailings at Ray Point, Texas

Technical Report · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6840038· OSTI ID:6840038

Haywood, F F; Christian, D J; Ellis, B S; Loy, E T; Lorenzo, D

The mill site and tailings pile near Ray Point, Texas, cover an area of approximately 140 hectares located 1.6 km west of Ray Point. The dry portion of the tailings pile is stabilized, and the whole pile is surrounded by a dike. It contains approximately 445,000 metric tons of material with an estimated average /sup 226/Ra concentration of 518 pCi/g. The average gamma-ray exposure rate 1 m above the pile is 300 ..mu..R/hr while the corresponding average for the mill site, including the former ore storage area, is 87 ..mu..R/hr. Soil and sediment sample analyses, as well as gamma-ray exposure rate measurements, show some spread of contamination off the site; however, it appears that control measures at this site have been effective in limiting the spread of tailings. Access to the area is limited by chain-link and barbed-wire fences, and continued surveillance of the area is maintained. The mill buildings have been maintained for possible future use.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6840038
• Report Number(s): ORNL-5463
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510302* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BACKGROUND RADIATION
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DISTRIBUTION
DOSE RATES
DOSES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
GAMMA RADIATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MILL TAILINGS
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATIONS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
SOUTHWEST REGION
TAILINGS
TEXAS
USA
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES