Hydrology and Radionuclide Migration Program, 1985--1986 progress report

This report presents results from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's participation in the Hydrology and Radionuclide Migration Program (formerly the Radionuclide Migration Project) at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during fiscal years 1985 and 1986. The report discusses studies of the partitioning and movement of dissolved and colloidal radionuclides at the Cheshire (U20n) site; tracer studies of shallow recharge and of plant-water uptake at the Cambric-site ditch carrying the effluent water pumped from well RNM-2; development of a rapid and sensitive assay for 99Tc in groundwater and its application to a survey of technetium activities at a variety of test wells; and a series of methodological studies directed toward calibration, understanding, and improving our low-level radionuclide determinations. Groundwater sampled from the Cheshire cavity and from adjacent aquifers contains substantial concentrations (mg/L) of colloids that appear to consist primarily of natural minerals. These colloids were found to contain detectable amounts of strongly sorbed radionuclides, leading to the hypothesis that radionuclides are being transported by the groundwater in colloidal form. The RNM ditch at the Cambric site has provided a unique tritium-labeled, irrigated test plot in the desert. One study at this site continued earlier investigations of water and tritium migration in the shallow vadose (unsaturated-soil) zone adjacent to the ditch and extended that study to include using a tracer to determine the velocity of vertical water flow in the recharge zone directly below the ditch. 57 refs., 15 figs., 23 tabs