Cover technology demonstration for low-level radioactive sites
Preliminary results are presented on a three-year field demonstration at Los Alamos National Laboratory to evaluate the influence of different waste trench cap designs on water balance under natural precipitation. Erosion plots having two different vegetative covers (shrubs and grasses) and with either gravel-mulched or unmulched soil surface treatments have been established on three different soil profiles on an inactive waste site. Total runoff and soil loss from each plot are measured after each precipitation event. Soil moisture is measured biweekly while plant canopy cover is measured seasonally. Preliminary results from the first year show that the application of a gravel mulch reduced runoff by 73 to 90%. Total soil loss was reduced by 83 to 93% by the mulch treatment. On unmulched plots, grass cover reduced both runoff and soil loss by about 50% compared to the shrub plots. Soil moisture reduction during the growing season was more pronounced on the shrub plots. This indicates that a more complex vegetative cover provides greater soil moisture storage capacity for winter precipitation than the usual grass cover. Continued monitoring of the study site will provide data that will be used to analyze complex interactions between independent variables such as rainfall amount and intensity, antecendent soil moisture, and soil and vegetation factors, and their influence on water balance and soil erosion. 12 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6754982
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-88-3374; CONF-880839-8; ON: DE89002288
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual DOE low-level waste management conference, Denver, CO, USA, 30 Aug 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
GROUND COVER
EVALUATION
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
GROUND DISPOSAL
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
DECOMMISSIONING
FIELD TESTS
MOISTURE
MONITORING
PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SOILS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
TESTING
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects