Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 10

Neitzel, D.A.; Fosmire, C.J.; Fowler, Richard A.

doi:10.2172/335170

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The portion of the Columbia River that flows through the Hanford Site (the Hanford Reach) is the only unimpounded stretch within the United States (except the estuary). While the river is unimpounded, the location of hydroelectric dams upstream (80 km) and downstream (75 km) controls the river stage at the study site (Neitzel et al 2005). Between 1994 and 2005, the annual average flow rate for the Hanford Reach was 3360 m 3 /s, with daily average flows varying from 1000 to 10,000 m 3 /s.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Rapidly Changing River Stage on Uranium Flux through the Hyporheic Zone

Fritz¹,

Arntzen

2007

Groundwater

110

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Measurement of ground water/surface water interaction within the hyporheic zone is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of subsurface contaminant fate and transport. Understanding the interaction between ground water and surface water is critical in developing a complete conceptual model of contaminant transport through the hyporheic zone. At the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, ground water contaminated with uranium discharges to the Columbia River through the hyporheic zone. Ground water flux varies according to changes in hydraulic gradient caused by fluctuating river stage, which changes in response to operation of dams on the Columbia River. Piezometers and continuous water quality monitoring probes were installed in the hyporheic zone to provide long-term, high-frequency measurement of hydraulic gradient and estimated uranium concentrations. Subsequently, the flux of water and uranium was calculated for each half-hour time period over a 15-month study period. In addition, measurement of water levels in the near-shore unconfined aquifer enhanced the understanding of the relationship between river stage, aquifer elevation, and uranium flux. Changing river stage resulted in fluctuating hydraulic gradient within the hyporheic zone. Further, influx of river water caused lower uranium concentrations as a result of dilution. The methods employed in this study provide a better understanding of the interaction between surface and ground water in a situation with a dynamically varying vertical hydraulic gradient and illustrate how the combination of relatively standard methods can be used to derive an accurate estimation of water and contaminant flux through the hyporheic zone.

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Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Rapidly Changing River Stage on Uranium Flux through the Hyporheic Zone

Fritz¹,

Arntzen

2007

Groundwater

110

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“…This section summarizes information on the climate and meteorology, geology and soil, hydrology, and ecology. Portions of this section were extracted from existing reports, including Neitzel et al (2003, Reidel and Reynolds (1998), , and . For brevity, references in the original texts are not included here.…”

Section: Affected Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Hanford Site is characterized as a shrub-steppe ecosystem that is adapted to the region's midlatitude semiarid climate (Neitzel 2003). Such ecosystems are typically dominated by a shrub overstory with a grass understory.…”

Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Recharge Data Package for the 2005 Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment

Fayer¹,

Szecsody²

2004

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CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., (CH2M HILL) is designing and assessing the performance of a near-surface disposal facility at Hanford for radioactive and hazardous waste. The waste includes immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW), which consists of vitrified low-level radioactive waste that will be retrieved from Hanford's single-and double-shell tanks, unvitrified low-level radioactive waste, mixed low-level waste, and vitrification melters. The CH2M HILL effort to assess the performance of this disposal facility is known as the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) Performance Assessment (PA) activity. The goal of this activity is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of waste will be protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require predictions of contaminant migration from the facility. To make such predictions will require estimates of the fluxes of water moving through the sediment within the vadose zone around and beneath the disposal facility. These fluxes, loosely called recharge rates, are the primary mechanism for transporting contaminants to the groundwater. v evaporation. The barrier still performed as expected, but only if the shrub-steppe plant community remained. In essence, the dune sand makes the barrier performance sensitive to vegetation conditions such as fire removal and species replacement. Under the climate change condition most likely to promote recharge (i.e., increased precipitation and decreased temperature), recharge through the barrier remained <0.1 mm/yr in contrast to recharge in Rupert sand, which increased from 2.2 to 27 mm/yr. Land use restrictions are expected to preclude farming at the IDF. To understand the consequences of farming, a simulation was conducted of irrigated potatoes. The results showed that irrigation on the surface barrier significantly increased recharge. Remaining issues concern assumptions about climate change, bioturbation, dune sand deposition, unstable and preferential flow, variability of the properties of the barrier materials and surrounding soil, longevity of the barrier, flaws in the barrier, possible facility deposition of chloride, and the importance of temperature and water vapor flow when recharge rates are lower than 1 mm/yr. The recharge estimates provided in this report were based on a pre-conceptual design of the surface barrier. The final barrier design and the materials that will be used to construct it have not yet been identified. When they are, the final design should be re-evaluated to confirm that its performance is acceptable. In the same vein, the properties of the soil that will surround the final barrier will depend on the plan for reclamation following construction. Once identified, the proposed reclaimed soil should be re-evaluated to confirm that its performance is acceptable. Lastly, the recharge estimates provided in this report were based on a set of assumptions regarding future climate, vegetation, and land us...

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“…(a) The Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization Rev.14 (Neitzel 2002) shows the total population "within" 80 km as 511,500, which was estimated by a geographical information system from the populations of individual census block groups, the smallest geographic area for which both minority and poverty status were estimated in the 2000 Census. The higher number resulted because the total population of a census block group was previously assigned to the 80-km area if any part of the block group lay within 80 km of the Hanford Meteorological Station in the middle of the Hanford Site.…”

Section: 128mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization Report, Revision 17

Neitzel¹,

Bunn²,

Cannon³

et al. 2005

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Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 10

Abstract: dana.i .hoitinkO,pnl.gov Air Quality C. J. Fosmire (509) 372-63 14 Christian.Fosmire(ii,ptil.gov ~~ a : U S. Department of Energy (DOE). 1993. Recommendations for the Preparation of Environmental Assessments and EnvironmentalImpact Statements.

Cited by 8 publications

References 66 publications

Effect of Rapidly Changing River Stage on Uranium Flux through the Hyporheic Zone

Effect of Rapidly Changing River Stage on Uranium Flux through the Hyporheic Zone

Recharge Data Package for the 2005 Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization Report, Revision 17

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