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Title: Preliminary remedial action objectives for the Tank 16 groundwater operable unit

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6656549· OSTI ID:6656549

Tank 16 is a High Level Radioactive Waste tank in the H-Area Tank Farm on the Savannah River Site that was placed into service in May 1959. A leak was detected in one of the construction weld joints while the tank was being filled. Before jet evacuation of the tank waste was completed, the leak overflowed the annulus pan and an estimated 16 to 700 gallons of waste escaped to the environment (soil and groundwater) over a six hour period contaminating approximately 1,600--70,000 cubic feet of soil with up to 5000 curies of activity (principally Cs[sup 137]). The Tank 16 bottom is constructed below the groundwater table which resulted in almost immediate contamination of that medium. Low groundwater flow rates, the ion exchange property of adjacent soils, and the distance to the nearest surface water bodies (1,500 to 8,000 feet) indicates that surface water and sediment outcrop of contaminates may be expected between 44 and 530 years (Poe et al., 1974). Remedial action objectives consist of medium-specific and operable unit specific goals for protecting human health and the environment. These objectives are specific and do not limit the range of alternatives that may be developed.A range of remedial technologies, which provides for treatment, containment, and removal requirements of contaminated media remaining at the Tank 16 groundwater operable unit, is identified and developed for each general response action.

Research Organization:
Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-89SR18035
OSTI ID:
6656549
Report Number(s):
WSRC-TR-92-500; ON: DE93008502
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
DRINKING WATER
STANDARDS
GROUND WATER
REMEDIAL ACTION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
AIR
ALPHA DECAY
BETA DECAY
CARBON STEELS
CESIUM 137
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENT
LEAKS
LIQUID WASTES
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEDIMENTS
SLUDGES
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
STRONTIUM 90
SURFACE WATERS
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
WATER TABLES
WELDED JOINTS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALLOYS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
DECAY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
ISOTOPES
JOINTS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SILICON 32 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
STEELS
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540230* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing