Inventory of radioactivity in Ottawa River-bed sediments near the Chalk River Laboratories

AECL's Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) are situated on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River about 200 km NW of the City of Ottawa. Since 1947, water for cooling CRL's research reactors has been piped from and returned to the Ottawa River. From 1952 to the present time, cooling water has been discharged through the Process Sewer at a rate of 1.5 to 2 m3/s. The Outfall, which is the discharge from the Process Sewer, is in 18 m of water, 65 m offshore. Flow is directed toward the river surface through three 'diffuser vents,' creating a turbulent swirl at the surface and maintaining a patch of open water in winter. In addition to cooling water, the Outfall has, over the years, included small additional effluents from a heavy water recovery plant, a decontamination centre and a waste treatment centre. Although the effluent has been monitored and has met applicable regulatory requirements, investigations of the riverbed near the Outfall revealed radioactivity. In 2001, a riverbed reconnaissance and a detailed coring program were initiated for the purpose of determining the inventory of residual radioactivity. (author)