Analysis of infiltration through a clay radon barrier at an UMTRA disposal cell

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:7192610

An infiltration study was initiated in January 1988 to assess the percent saturation in, and infiltration through, clay radon barriers of typical Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project disposal cells. Predicting infiltration through the radon barrier is necessary to evaluate whether the disposal cell will comply with the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) groundwater protection standards (40 CFR 192). The groundwater standards require demonstrating that tailings seepage will not cause background concentrations or maximum concentration limits (MCLs) to be exceeded at the downgradient edge of the disposal facility (the point of compliance, or POC). This demonstration generally consists of incorporating the predicted seepage flux and the concentration of the specific hazardous constituents into a contaminant transport model, and predicting the resultant concentrations at the POC. The infiltration study consisted of a field investigation to evaluate moisture conditions in the radon barrier of the completed Shiprock, New Mexico, UMTRA Project disposal cell and previously completed UMTRA Project disposal cells at Clive, Utah, and Burrell, Pennsylvania. Coring was conducted to measure percent saturation profiles in the radon barriers at these disposal cells. In addition, a detailed investigation of the Shiprock radon barrier was conducted to establish the effects of meteorological stresses on moisture conditions in the filter layer and radon barrier. The Shiprock infiltration study was also intended to characterize hydraulic gradients and operational unsaturated hydraulic conductivities in the radon barrier.

• Research Organization: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Pasadena, CA (United States); USDOE Albuquerque Operations Office, NM (United States). Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project Office
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-82AL14086
• OSTI ID: 7192610
• Report Number(s): DOE/UMTRA-400667-0000; ON: DE93005952
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ABANDONED SITES
CLAYS
COMPLIANCE
COVERINGS
DATA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISSOLUTION
DRILL CORES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VI
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
FLUIDS
GASES
GROUND COVER
GROUND WATER
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MILL TAILINGS
MOISTURE
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEW MEXICO
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PENNSYLVANIA
PERMEABILITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADON
RARE GASES
REGULATIONS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
UTAH
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER