Remedial investigation of Clinch River and Watts Bar reservoir contamination
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Operations and waste disposal activities at the Oak Ridge Y-12 plant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant installations on the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation have introduced a variety of airborne, liquid, and solid wastes into the surrounding environment. Some of these wastes affect off-site surface waters, entering local streams, which ultimately drain into the Clinch and Tennessee River systems. Previously reported concentrations of radionuclides, metals, and organic compounds in the water, sediment, and biota of the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir suggested the presence of a variety of contaminants of possible concern in considerations of the protection of human health and the environment. The results of the initial scoping study indicate that the highest levels of [sup 137]Cs contamination are isolated deep in the bottom sediments under deep water in the old river channels. The results of the risk screening analyses indicate that in the absence of deep-channel sediment dredging, there are no short-term imminent hazards to the environment or human health; however, most of the metals, organics, and radionuclides previously reported were recommended for further study in subsequent phases of the Clinch River remedial investigation.
- OSTI ID:
- 6942366
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-901101--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 62; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Transport and accumulation of cesium-137 and mercury in the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir system. Environmental Restoration Program
Preliminary screening analysis of the off-site environment downstream of the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation
Related Subjects
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
CLINCH RIVER
CONSTRUCTION
CONTAMINATION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DOCUMENTATION
DOSES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
MANAGEMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OAK RIDGE RESERVATION
ORGDP
ORNL
PLANNING
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
REMEDIAL ACTION
RIVERS
SAFETY
SAMPLING
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TENNESSEE
TENNESSEE RIVER
TRANSPORT
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Y-12 PLANT