Data are presented on the availability of tritium, cesium‐137, and plutonium to honey bee colonies foraging in the environment surrounding the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Sources of these radionuclides in the laboratory environs include liquid and atmospheric effluents and buried solid waste.Honey bee colonies were placed in three canyon liquid waste disposal areas and were sampled frequently, along with honey, surface water, and surrounding vegetation, to qualitatively determine the availability of these radionuclides to bees (Apis mellifera) and to identify potential food chain sources of the elements.Tritium concentrations in bee and honey samples from the canyons increased rapidly from initial values of < 1 pCi/ml moisture to as much as 9.2 nCi/ml in 75 days after placement of the hives in the canyons. Seasonal patterns in foraging activities as influenced by weather and food availability were apparent in the data. It appears that several sources of tritium were utilized by the colonies, including surface water in the canyons and vegetation receiving tritium from atmospheric effluents and buried solid waste.Concentrations of cesium‐137 and plutonium were generally low or undetectable in bees throughout the study. However, levels of both nuclides increased by factors of 10–20 in bees from two of the canyon study areas during a 3‐month period in 1973. It was speculated that the liquid effluents in the two canyons were the source of the increased concentrations in bee samples, since this water was the only significant source of 137Cs in the environs.The existence of at least three radionuclide sources in the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) environs complicates the interpretation of the data. However, it is apparent that honey bees can acquire 3H, 137Cs, and Pu from multiple sources in the environs.

Determining the appropriate criteria and designs for hazardous waste landfill covers has spawned much discussion within the environmental remediation arena. Ve y little reliable comparison of various technologies exists. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory studied the relative hydrologic performance of four landfill cover designstwo capillary barrier designs, one modified EPA RCRA design, and one control cover. Monitoring the fate of natural precipitation for nearly four years showed that the covers with barrier layers more effectively reduced deeppercolation than the control cover. Although none entirely eliminated deeppercolation, the RCRA cover, incorporating a clay hydraulic barrier, most effectively controlled it. The two capilla y barriers reduced deep percolation, but significant amounts were stillproduced. Over POpercent of allpercolation through the covers, and lateralflow within the covers, occurred during Februa y through May each year, primarily as a result of snowmelt, early spring rains, and low evapotranspiration. The study also showed that gravel mulch su$ace treatments (70-to 80-percentground cover) reduced runoff and erosion. Despite additional shrubsplanted on one, the two plots receiving thegravel mulch treatmentsexhibited equally enhanced amounts of evapotranspiration.Landfilling, the oldest method of waste disposal practiced by humans (Hagerty, 19731, enjoys widespread use for hazardous waste disposal. Today, satisfactory landfill technology must prevent leaching of contaminants to surrounding soil or underlying groundwater. Remediating previously contaminated sites often relies on containment; it is cost-effective, generates little by-product waste, and can be designed to meet regulatory requirements. Successfully containing wastes in landfills or contaminated sites depends almost entirely on the landfill cover.Most containment failures result from interactions of water with the landfill covers, as documented by operating experience at major low-level radioactive waste disposal sites since the early 1940s (Duguid, 1977;Jacobs et al., 1980;Hakonson et al., 1982;Herzog et al., 1982). Landfill covers seem particularly susceptible to failure during snowmelt periods when large inputs of water occur and when evapotranspiration is low (Nyhan et al., ). Choosing the best cover design for a particular site becomes a critical decision in the overall landfill design or remediation strategy.Unfortunately, few field studies have evaluated the relative performance of cover design alternatives and whether they meet EPA's performance requirements. Previous work generally examined individual processes affecting cover performance, for example: erosion (Hakonson et al.). While each of these processes are important, data are needed to evaluate them acting together under field conditions.Although directly measuring water balance could best evaluate the performance of cover designs, few studies have attempted to do so (Healy et al., 1989;Nyhan et al., 1990;Campbell et al., 1991;Limbach et al., 1994...

Results are presented here of a field study to evaluate the relative hydrologic performance of various landfill cover technologies installed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Four cover designs (two capillary barrier designs, one modified EPA RCRA design, and one control cover) were installed in large lysimeters instrumented to monitor the fate of natural precipitation between January 1, 1990 and September 20, 1993. After 45 months of study, results showed that the cover designs containing barrier layers were effective in reducing deep percolation as compared to the control cover. The RCRA cover, incorporating a clay hydraulic barrier, was the most effective of all cover designs in controlling deep percolation but was not 100‐percent effective. The two capillary barriers were successful in reducing deep percolation, but significant amounts were still produced. Over 90 percent of all percolation through the covers and lateral flow within the covers occurred during the months of February through May of each year, primarily as a result of snowmelt, early spring rains, and low evapotranspiration. Gravel mulch surface treatments (70‐ to 80‐percent ground cover) were effective in reducing runoff and erosion. The two plots receiving the gravel mulch treatments exhibited equal but enhanced amounts of evapotranspiration, despite the fact that one plot was planted with additional shrubs.

This report describes the ecological research program at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and, in addition, summarizes the progress which has been made on current project activities between July 1, 1972, and March 31, 1973.Information is presented on an environmental inventory of the Los Alamos area, a radionuclide inventory in three liquid waste disposal areas, studies to determine the applicability of the honeybee as an indicator of environmental radiocontamination and a resurvey of the Trinity area to determine the bioavailability of the plutonium from the world's first nuclear detonation. Z. INTRODUCTIONThe overlying objective of the investigation is to develop the necessary biological and ecological input data to provide a basis for assessing the environmental impact of research and development programs at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASt) and to establish a predictive capability on the behavior and significance of various radionuclides which are released to the LASL environs. The information gained in this study will not only be valuable to the Laboratory from an operational standpoint, but it will also have application to nuclear-oriented industry. Research areas identified as being important to the success of this inventigation include a determination of 1. the quantities of radionuclides released through time/ 2. the physical and chemical forms of the radionuclides present in the environment, 3. the plant and animal resources in the LASL environs as a whole, but especially in the pathway of discharged effluents, 4. data on the physical and chemical characteristics of the soils, 5. the radionuclide content of the plants, animals, and soils as a function of season, 6. the seasonal meteorological conditions in the area, including ambient air and alluvial soil temperatures and precipitation, 7. the radioecological concentration processes in abiotic and biotic compartments including rates of incorporation and loss, 8. the physical and biological processes influencing resvspension and redistribution of contaminant radionuclides and the relative importance of each, and 9. the biological effects anticipated from a given level of environmental contamination and corresponding total radiation doses and dose rates to critical tissues.This report summarizes project activities and information gathered between July 1, 1972, and March 31, 1973. Most of the effort during this period has been spent in 1. compiling an environmental inventory of the Los Alamos area, 2. studying the iri situ kinetics of various radionuclides in honeybee colonies, 3. conducting a radionuclide inventory in the soils and biota of liquid waste disposal areas, and 4. resurveying the radionuclide content of the soils and biota at Trinity, the site of the world's first nuclear detonation.The following quote from the July-December 1972 environmental monitoring report describes the history and function of the Laboratory. "The Laboratory and the Los Alamos Community are located in northcentral New Mexico (Fig. 1) on the Pajarito...

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