Ground-water monitoring at the Hanford Site, January-December 1984
This program is designed to evaluate existing and potential pathways of exposure to radioactivity and hazardous chemicals from site operations. This document contains an evaluation of data collected during CY 1984. During 1984, 339 monitoring wells were sampled at various times for radioactive and nonradioactive constituents. Two of these constituents, specifically, tritium and nitrate, have been selected for detailed discussion in this report. Tritium and nitrate in the primary plumes originating from the 200 Areas continue to move generally eastward toward the Columbia River in the direction of ground-water flow. The movement within these plumes is indicated by changes in trends within the analytical data from the monitoring wells. No discernible impact on ground water has yet been observed from the start-up of the PUREX plant in December 1983. The shape of the present tritium plume is similar to those described in previous ground-water monitoring reports, although slight changes on the outer edges have been noted. Radiological impacts from two potential pathways for radionuclide transport in ground water to the environment are discussed in this report. The pathways are: (1) human consumption of ground water from onsite wells, and (2) seepage of ground water into the Columbia River. Concentrations of tritium in spring samples that were collected and analyzed in 1983, and in wells sampled adjacent to the Columbia River in 1984 confirmed that constituents in the ground water are entering the river via springs and subsurface flow. The primary areas where radionuclides enter the Columbia River via ground-water flow are the 100-N and 300 Areas and the shoreline adjacent to the Hanford Townsite. 44 refs., 25 figs., 11 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6242284
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-5408; ON: DE86002296
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Radiological status of the ground water beneath the Hanford Site, January-December 1981
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
GROUND WATER
MONITORING
NITRATES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
TRITIUM
COLUMBIA RIVER
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
HANFORD RESERVATION
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520301* - Environment
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520200 - Environment
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