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Title: Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine

Abstract

Well ER-2-2 was drilled for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada National Security Administration Nevada Field Office in support of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity. The well was drilled from January 17 to February 8, 2016, as part of the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. The primary purpose of the well was to collect hydrogeologic data to evaluate uncertainty in the flow and transport conceptual model and its contamination boundary forecasts, and to detect radionuclides in groundwater from the CALABASH (U2av) underground test. Well ER-2-2 was not completed as planned due to borehole stability problems. As completed, the well includes a piezometer (p1) to 582 meters (m) (1,909 feet [ft]) below ground surface (bgs) installed in the Timber Mountain lower vitric-tuff aquifer (TMLVTA) and a 12.25-inch (in.) diameter open borehole to 836 m (2,743 ft) bgs in the Lower tuff confining unit (LTCU). A 13.375-in. diameter carbon-steel casing is installed from the surface to a depth of 607 m (1,990 ft) bgs. Data collected during borehole construction include composite drill cutting samples collected every 3.0 m (10 ft), geophysical logs to a depth of 672.4 m (2,206more » ft) bgs, water-quality measurements (including tritium), water-level measurements, and slug test data. The well penetrated 384.05 m (1,260 ft) of Quaternary alluvium, 541.93 m (1,778 ft) of Tertiary Volcanics (Tv) rocks, and 127.71 m (419 ft) of Paleozoic carbonates. The stratigraphy and lithology were generally as expected. However, several of the stratigraphic units were significantly thicker then predicted—principally, the Tunnel formation (Tn), which had been predicted to be 30 m (100 ft) thick; the actual thickness of this unit was 268.22 m (880 ft). Fluid depths were measured in the borehole during drilling as follows: (1) in the piezometer (p1) at 552.15 m (1,811.53 ft) bgs and (2) in the main casing (m1) at 551.69 m (1,810.01 ft) bgs. As expected, field measurements for tritium were above the Safe Drinking Water Act limit (20,000 picocuries per liter). All Fluid Management Plan requirements were met.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1]
  1. Navarro, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Navarro, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
OSTI Identifier:
1341418
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV-1559
TRN: US1701844
DOE Contract Number:  
NA0002653
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; GROUND WATER; TRITIUM; NEVADA; US DOE FIELD OFFICES; NEVADA TEST SITE; UNDERGROUND; WATER QUALITY; STRATIGRAPHY; AQUIFERS; CONTAMINATION; WELLS; Completion Report; Well ER-2-2; CAU 97; Yucca Flat; Climax Mine

Citation Formats

Wurtz, Jeffrey, and Rehfeldt, Ken. Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.2172/1341418.
Wurtz, Jeffrey, & Rehfeldt, Ken. Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1341418
Wurtz, Jeffrey, and Rehfeldt, Ken. 2017. "Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1341418. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1341418.
@article{osti_1341418,
title = {Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine},
author = {Wurtz, Jeffrey and Rehfeldt, Ken},
abstractNote = {Well ER-2-2 was drilled for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada National Security Administration Nevada Field Office in support of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity. The well was drilled from January 17 to February 8, 2016, as part of the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. The primary purpose of the well was to collect hydrogeologic data to evaluate uncertainty in the flow and transport conceptual model and its contamination boundary forecasts, and to detect radionuclides in groundwater from the CALABASH (U2av) underground test. Well ER-2-2 was not completed as planned due to borehole stability problems. As completed, the well includes a piezometer (p1) to 582 meters (m) (1,909 feet [ft]) below ground surface (bgs) installed in the Timber Mountain lower vitric-tuff aquifer (TMLVTA) and a 12.25-inch (in.) diameter open borehole to 836 m (2,743 ft) bgs in the Lower tuff confining unit (LTCU). A 13.375-in. diameter carbon-steel casing is installed from the surface to a depth of 607 m (1,990 ft) bgs. Data collected during borehole construction include composite drill cutting samples collected every 3.0 m (10 ft), geophysical logs to a depth of 672.4 m (2,206 ft) bgs, water-quality measurements (including tritium), water-level measurements, and slug test data. The well penetrated 384.05 m (1,260 ft) of Quaternary alluvium, 541.93 m (1,778 ft) of Tertiary Volcanics (Tv) rocks, and 127.71 m (419 ft) of Paleozoic carbonates. The stratigraphy and lithology were generally as expected. However, several of the stratigraphic units were significantly thicker then predicted—principally, the Tunnel formation (Tn), which had been predicted to be 30 m (100 ft) thick; the actual thickness of this unit was 268.22 m (880 ft). Fluid depths were measured in the borehole during drilling as follows: (1) in the piezometer (p1) at 552.15 m (1,811.53 ft) bgs and (2) in the main casing (m1) at 551.69 m (1,810.01 ft) bgs. As expected, field measurements for tritium were above the Safe Drinking Water Act limit (20,000 picocuries per liter). All Fluid Management Plan requirements were met.},
doi = {10.2172/1341418},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1341418}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}