Sediment Properties: E-Area Completion Project

Millings, M.; Bagwell, L.; Amidon, M.; Dixon, Kellie L.

doi:10.2172/1021333

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Disposal units within the current footprint of the E-Area LLWF include the Slit Trenches (STs), Engineered Trenches (ETs), Component-In-Grout (CIG) Trenches, the Low Activity Waste Vault (LAWV), the Intermediate Level Vault (ILV), and the Naval Reactor Component Disposal Areas (NRCDAs) (Figure 4-4 and inset A and B Figure 4-5). Solid Waste Management (SWM) identified additional plots (6-9) for future development (Millings et al, 2011). Plots 6 and 8 proposed for future development are hereafter referred to as Expansion E-Area LLWF, see inset C Figure 4-5.…”

Section: E-area Low-level Waste Facility General Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reported data includes water retention and relative permeability for two gravel samples (GL-1 and GL-2) (Yu et al, 1993). Millings et al (2011) present the results of a characterization program undertaken in 2011 to collect site specific data for the vadose zone lying beneath the adjacent undeveloped portions of the E-Area LLWF comprising an additional 100-acres. This characterization program consisted of collecting cone penetrometer logs (CPT) and individual soil samples.…”

Section: Generic Gravelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydraulic Properties Data Package for the E-Area Soils, Cementitious Materials, and Waste Zones - Update

Nichols

Butcher

2020

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The primary objective of this report is to provide an update to the report prepared by Phifer et al. (2006) on the hydraulic property estimates for the soils, cementitious materials, and waste zones associated with the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (LLWF). Phifer et al. (2006) also addressed properties for the Z-Area Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). However, this report only addresses updates for the portions relevant to E-Area and therefore references to Z-Area have been removed. Therefore, this report supersedes (Phifer et al., 2006).These hydraulic property estimates will be used as input to deterministic, sensitivity, and uncertainty modeling conducted to support the Performance Assessments (PA) for the E-Area LLWF. The hydraulic properties provided for each of the E-Area material zones include: porosity (η), dry bulk density (ρb), particle density (ρp), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), characteristic curves (suction head, saturation, and relative permeability), and effective diffusion coefficient (De). Nominal or "best estimate" values are provided for use in the deterministic modeling, and representations of the value uncertainty are provided for use in sensitivity and uncertainty modeling efforts.

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Section: E-area Low-level Waste Facility General Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Generic Gravelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Properties Data Package for the E-Area Soils, Cementitious Materials, and Waste Zones - Update

Nichols

Butcher

2020

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“…Data quality for undisturbed VZ soil hydraulic properties is discussed by Nichols and Butcher (2020; Section 5.2.2). In addition, Millings et al (2011) present the results of a 2011 characterization program to collect site-specific data for the VZ beneath the adjacent plots comprising the undeveloped "second 100 acres" in E-Area (see Figure 2-6). The 2011 characterization program consisted of collecting CPT logs (tip resistance, sleeve resistance, friction ratio, pore pressure, and electrical resistivity) and individual soil samples (grain-size distribution, dry bulk density, porosity, saturated hydraulic mud and vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity for the samples used in this evaluation.…”

Section: Unsaturated Zone Soil Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Assessment for the E-Area Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility at the Savannah River Site: Chapter 3

MAYER

HAMM

ALEMAN

et al. 2023

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are the PA for the INTEC calcined solids storage facility at the Idaho National Laboratory site (DOE-ID, 2019) and the PA for Waste Management Area C at the Hanford site (Mehta et al., 2016). The PA evaluates the potential impacts of changes in performance of different features of the system and demonstrates that the safety functions represent multiple and redundant barriers. Barrier analyses, assuming a safety function is not present, also test the robustness of the system in the event of the loss of one or more safety functions. Such evaluations also support a qualitative illustration of the concept of defense-in-depth.The safety concept for closure of the ELLWF encompasses a variety of different features (i.e., administrative controls, natural site features, and engineered barriers) that reduce the potential impacts on human health and the environment from the residual waste that will remain after closure. These features can be represented as a collection of safety functions acting independently and as a system to provide for overall safety. In some applications, attempts are made to assign numerical expectations to specific safety functions, but that is not the intent in this case. The concept of safety functions is used more qualitatively in two ways for this PA: 1. To illustrate the robustness of the ELLWF design, operational practices, and closure approach by documenting features that are and are not credited in different modeling cases.

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“…The elapsed time required to reach hydrostatic drainage equilibrium can be estimated following DiCarlo (2003), using these global K sat values and van Genuchten parameters for E Area vadose zone sediments (Millings et al, 2011). The full range of van Genuchten parameters included in Millings et al (2011, Table 4) yields a wide range of possible equilibration times when combined with the DiCarlo (2003) analysis (years to centuries). Recognizing that the tabulated values reflect the layered heterogeneity of the sediment deposition, however, drainage equilibrium times of several decades appear quite likely.…”

Section: Finite Drainage Volume Constraintmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of Vadose Zone Drainage from a Capped Seepage Basin, F‐Area, Savannah River Site

2012

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Waste disposal into seepage basins has generated groundwater contaminant plumes at many loca ons. At the F Area within the Savannah River Site, Pu was extracted from depleted U from 1955 to 1988, with wastewater discharged into seepage basins. Basin 3 was the largest F-Area seepage basin, receiving acidic wastewater containing radionuclides (including 3 H, 129 I, and mul ple isotopes of U, Pu, Sr, and Cs), elevated NO 3 , and some metals. Contaminants transported into the groundwater migrate toward Fourmile Branch, a tributary to the Savannah River. We developed a two-compartment model and used 20 yr of groundwater quality data to es mate the post-closure drainage of waste solu ons through its vadose zone into the aquifer. Tri um, NO 3 − , and specifi c conductance were used as tracers in the model to es mate drainage rates. Our calcula ons indicate that early stages of post-closure waste drainage occurred with high water fl uxes (?0.5 m yr −1 ) and quickly declined. Even 20 yr a er basin closure, however, drainage con nues at several cen meters per year. While the magnitude of this late-stage drainage rate is low, its impact is large because of the high concentra ons of contaminants it con nues to supply to the groundwater. These es mated drainage fl uxes constrain predic ons on the waste plume behavior, especially with respect to its trailing gradient and me scales suitable for monitored natural a enua on. Our methodology requires only groundwater monitoring data and a small number of well-constrained input quan es. This approach can be useful for understanding contaminant dissipa on at other loca ons as well, especially where the hydrogeological se ng is rela vely simple.Abbrevia ons: EC, electrical conduc vity; MCL, maximum contaminant level.Many mining and ore milling sites and nuclear weapons production facilities have used large volumes of water and consequently require discharge of similarly large volumes of contaminated wastewater. In the case of ore milling, mill tailings were commonly discharged over large areas in slurry form, with waste solutions draining into underlying sediments and groundwater (Fernandas et al., 1995;Narasimhan et al., 1986). Past practices used for disposal of some contaminated water at nuclear weapons production facilities included discharge into soil, the vadose zone, and underlying groundwater via permeable seepage basins (Arai et al., 2007;Denham and Vangelas, 2008;Kaplan et al., 1995;Shevenell et al., 1994). Whether groundwater at these sites is actively remediated to accelerate removal of contaminants or untreated and subjected to monitored natural attenuation, it is important to determine the timescale during which contaminant concentrations in the trailing plume edge diminish below their regulatory levels (Denham and Vangelas, 2008). A key factor controlling the dynamics of the trailing plume edge is the time frame for cessation of drainage from the contaminated vadose zone. h is time frame has two limiting conditions, depending on whether the upper boundary of the contam...

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Sediment Properties: E-Area Completion Project

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Hydraulic Properties Data Package for the E-Area Soils, Cementitious Materials, and Waste Zones - Update

Hydraulic Properties Data Package for the E-Area Soils, Cementitious Materials, and Waste Zones - Update

Performance Assessment for the E-Area Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility at the Savannah River Site: Chapter 3

Estimates of Vadose Zone Drainage from a Capped Seepage Basin, F‐Area, Savannah River Site

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