Evaluation of gross beta radioactivities, TDA, and pH in groundwater samples at Pasar Jumat nuclear area and surrounding area

Nuclear research and development in Pasar Jumat nuclear area (PJNA) requires environmental monitoring. One of the environmental monitoring conducted and contained in Environmental Management Plan/ Environmental Monitoring Plan of the Pasar Jumat Nuclear Power Research Center is ground water quality monitoring. Groundwater quality monitoring is conducted every three months at 10 locations within the PJNA and surrounding area. The vicissitudes in environmental quality due to existing activities at PJNA needs to be identified, therefore evaluation of groundwater quality monitoring to determine differences in the average concentration of gross beta activity, pH, and TDS by year and location necessity to be prepared. Determination of this research is to distinguish consistency of average activity concentration of gross beta, pH, and TDS based on year and location. TDS and pH were measured directly using TDS meter and pH meter, while gross beta measurements used Low Background Counter (LBC) through laboratory preparation. Evaluation of activity concentration of gross beta, pH, and TDS based on location and year using two-way annova test by SPSS Statistic 20 software. The result showed that there was a significant difference in average of activity concentration total beta in each location but did not show any difference in each year. Furthermore, the analysis on TDS and pH variables showed a significant difference in mean TDS and pH values based on location, but did not show any significant difference in mean TDS and pH values annually. (author)