Groundwater model calibration at Pantex using Data Fusion modeling

The Pantex plant has operated as one of the Federal government's key conventional and nuclear weapons facilities since the 1940's. In recent years, the DOE has expended considerable effort to characterize the nature and extent of groundwater contamination associated with the site. That effort is still on-going with the ultimate aim of determining and implementing appropriate remedial measures. The goal of the study described in this report was to use Data Fusion modeling to calibrate a groundwater model near Zone 12 of Pantex, primarily to define the potential pathways to the Ogallala aquifer. Data Fusion is a new approach for combining different but interrelated types of information from multiple sources into a quantitative analysis of system characteristics and dynamic behavior. The Data Fusion Workstation (DFW) is a patented technique for carrying out Data Fusion analyses using specially developed computer based approaches. The technique results in the development of a calibrated model of a site consistent with the data, first principles, and geostatistical spatial continuity. A more explicit description of the Data Fusion concept and approach is presented