A containment and disposition strategy for tritium-contaminated groundwater at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, United States
Daniel R. Hitchcock, Christopher D. Barton, Karin T. Rebel, Julian Singer, John C. Seaman, J. Dan Strawbridge, Susan J. Riha, and John I. Blake
ABSTRACT
A
containment and disposition water management strategy has been implemented
at the Savannah River Site to minirriize the discharge of tritiated groundwater
from the Old Radioactive Waste Burial Ground to Fourmile Branch, a tributary
of the Savannah River. This paper presents a general overview of the water
management strategy, which includes a two-component (pond and lmgation)
system, and a summary of operations and effectiveness for the first 3
yr of operations. Tritiated groundwater seep discharge was impounded by
a dam and distributed via irrigation to a 22-ac (8.9-ha.) upland forested
area comprised of mixed pines (loblolly and slash.) and hardwoods (primarily
sweetgum and laurel oak). As of March 2004, the system has irrigated approximately
133.2 million L (35.2 million gal) and prevented approximately 1880 Ci
of tritium from entering Fourmile Branch via forest evapotranspiration,
as well as via pond storage and evaporation. Prior to installation of
the containmnet and disposition strategy, tritium avtivity in Fourmile
BRanch downstream of the seep averaged approximately 500 pCi mL-1.
Six months after installation, tritium activity averaged approximately
200 pCi mL-1 in Fourmile Branch. After 1 yr of operations,
tritium activity averaged below 100 pCi mL-1 in
Fourmile BRanch, and a range of 100-200 pCi mL-1
tritium activity has been maintained as of March 2004. Complex hydrological
factors and operations strategies influence remediation system success.
Analyses may assist in developing groundwater management and remediation
strategies for future projectos at the Savannah RIver Site and other facilities
located on similar landscapes.
SREL Reprint #2864
Hitchcock, D. R., C. D. Barton, K. T. Rebel, J. Singer, J. C. Seaman, J. D. Strawbridge, S. J. Riha and J. I. Blake. 2005. A containment and disposition strategy for tritium-contaminated groundwater at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, United States. Environmental Geosciences 12:17-28.
