The influence of small mammal burrowing activity on water storage at the Hanford Site

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10186275· OSTI ID:10186275

Landeen, D S

The amount and rate at which water may penetrate a protective barrier and come into contact with buried radioactive waste is a major concern. Because burrowing animals eventually will reside on the surface of any protective barrier, the effect these burrow systems may have on the loss or retention of water needs to be determined. The first section of this document summarizes the known literature relative to small mammals and the effects that burrowing activities have on water distribution, infiltration, and the overall impact of burrows on the ecosystem. Topics that are summarized include burrow air pressures, airflow, burrow humidity, microtopography, mounding, infiltration, climate, soil evaporation, and discussions of large pores relative to water distribution. The second section of this document provides the results of the study that was conducted at the Hanford Site to determine what effect small mammal burrows have on water storage. This Biointrusion task is identified in the Permanent Isolation Surface Barrier Development Plan in support of protective barriers. This particular animal intrusion task is one part of the overall animal intrusion task identified in Animal Intrusion Test Plan.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-87RL10930
• OSTI ID: 10186275
• Report Number(s): WHC-EP-0730; ON: DE95000733; BR: 35AF11201/35AF11202; TRN: 94:020363
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
HANFORD RESERVATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
BIOINTRUSION
MAMMALS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
HYDROLOGY
BEHAVIOR
LINERS
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
DAMAGE
WATER INFLUX
052002
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE