EPA-902/4-77-010
SUMMARY REPORT ON THE LOW-LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE BURIAL SITE,
WEST VALLEY, NEW YORK
(1963 -1975)
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
REGION II
REGIONAL OFFICE OF RADIATION PROGRAMS
26 FEDERAL PLAZA
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10007
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SUMMARY REPORT ON THE LOW-LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE BURIAL SITE,
WEST VALLEY, NEW YORK
(1963 - 1975)
Issued: February, 1977
Reissued: October, 1977
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
REGION II
26 FEDERAL PLAZA
NEW YORK NEW YORK 10007
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AUTHORS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region II
Paul A. Giardina
Michael F. DeBonis
Jeanette Eng
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Radiation Programs
G. Lewis Meyer
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FOREWORD
Since the discovery of x-rays in 1895, man has sought to exploit the
many benefits that radiation can provide to human welfare. Since that time,
the sources of radiation have expanded at a very rapid rate both in scope and
quantity. As the sources of radiation have increased so have the amount of
radioactive wastes. Because these radioactive wastes have long half-lives,
releases to the environment must be restricted over thousands of years.
EPA's objective for the management of radioactive wastes is to assure
that no unwarranted risks are imposed upon present or future generations
from exposure to radiation from this source. This will be done by ensuring
that all radioactive waste materials are isolated from the biosphere during
their hazardous lifetimes.
EPA is responsible for establishing environmental standards which must
be met in connection with waste management activities. EPA will coordinate
its efforts with ERDA, NRC, and USGS through an interagency working group
established by EPA.
As a first step, EPA will establish environmental criteria for
radioactive waste management which will provide environmental and public
health guidance to Federal agencies responsible for developing radioactive
waste disposal alternatives. In parallel EPA will develop numeric
environmental standards for high-level waste disposal. Subsequent efforts
will be devoted to developing environmental standards for other types of
wastes and disposal options. The two most immediate problems are the
disposal of high-level wastes and low-level wastes; interim standards are
anticipated for these two classes of waste by 1977 and 1979 respectively. In
order to accomplish these national goals, EPA's regional offices serve as a
focal point for collection of operational and surveillance data for existing
sites.
This report discusses the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes at a
specific site, West Valley, New York. The report has three goals. The first is
to summarize results of a migration study performed for EPA by various New
York State agencies at the West Valley site. The second goal is to provide a
data base for the development of criteria, guidelines, and standards for future
low-level waste burial sites by compiling pertinent West Valley data into a
single document. The third goal is to make available to others interested in
the siting and operation of radioactive waste burial sites some of the more
important experiences, problems, and corrective actions encountered during
the operation of the West Valley site. Considerable assistance has been
received from various New York State agencies involved with the West Valley
site as well as EPA's Office of Radiation Programs.
I believe this report will be valuable to readers concerned with low-
level radioactive waste burial. I encourage users of this report to inform the
Region II Office of omissions or errors. Your additional comments or
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requests for further information are also solicited.
Gerald M. Hansler, P.E.
Regional Administrator
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Ill
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Contributions to the development of the Summary Report were made
by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's
Bureau of Radiation (NYSDEC) and the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA). We are grateful to Messrs.
Thomas J. Cashman, William 3. Kelleher, Eugene 3. Michael (NYSDEC), and
to Mr. Cloin Robertson (NYSERDA) for the time they spent reviewing
drafts of this report and for their contribution of information to this
report.
Special thanks to Messrs. David Smith, Jack Russell, and Ted Fowler
of the Office of Radiation Programs (USEPA) for their review and
suggestions.
Many thanks to Ms. Deborah Drayton for typing the numerous drafts
and the final report and to Messrs. Jack Gallaher and Steve Butala for
checking and tabulating the data. Also many thanks to Ms. Patricia Rios
for retyping and Ms. Joyce Feldman for preparing the report for the
second printing.
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IV
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 1973, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(NYSDEC) asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for
assistance in determining whether radionuclides were migrating from the
Nuclear Fuel Services' (NFS) West Valley low-level radioactive waste burial
area through the subsurface to the surrounding environment. A lithological
boring study was performed in 1973 and 1974 showing tritium contamination of
the surface area and of the first 10 to 15 feet of strata immediately adjacent
to the trenches used for burial. Although the results were inconclusive, the
study indicated several sources of tritium contamination were possible.
Downward migration resulting from fallout from the nearby nuclear fuel
reprocessing plant, or from spillage occuring during burial operations are
potential sources of the contamination. Lateral migration in certain geologic
areas directly from the burial trenches is another potential source of the
contamination. While the data is insufficient to indicate which way the
tritium is moving, it can be surmised that no significant lateral migration has
taken place to date.
Extensive water infiltration has also occurred in some of the trenches,
and in March 1975, water containing radionuclides seeped through two of the
trench caps, contaminating the adjacent surface area, and entered a nearby
stream. Burial operations were terminated by NFS shortly after this seepage
was detected by NYSDEC. The New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority (NYSERDA) is conducting studies aimed at
eliminating this problem and others encountered at the site. Trenches in the
northern section of the site where the seepage occurred contain more than 3
curies of cesium-137, 15,000 curies of strontium-90, 46,000 curies of cobalt-
60, 26,000 of combined carbon-14 and tritium, 15,000 curies of tritium, 19,000
curies of mixed fission products, and 50,000 curies of other radionuclides.
After the seepage incident, NYSDEC required the implementation of a
temporary program to control trench water levels. In the northern section of
the site, where trench water levels were already high, water was pumped out
of the trenches, treated, diluted, and discharged into a nearby stream. An
evaluation determining that this procedure would cause any significant health
implications was performed prior to implementation. In the southern section,
where improved capping procedures were initiated in 1968, trench water
levels had not risen in a manner similar to those in the north.
Considerable erosion has also been noted during investigations of the
burial site. Erosion was noted in the north end of the site where the older
trenches are. In the future, erosion could cause serious problems here,
including shortening distances between man, his environment, and the buried
radioactivity and in the worst case, exposure of the buried radioactive
material.
Future studies of the West Valley disposal site are needed to determine
the cause and extent of the problems that have been identified and to develop
workable solutions. At present, there are four major interrelated areas of
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study;
Hydrogeologic data, needed to predict water migration rates, are being
collected by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Information on the rates and pathways of any migrating radioactivity is
being collected for the EPA by a number of New York State agencies under
the lead of the New York Geological Survey.
A long-term solution to the problem of trench water level control and
site erosion control are the objects of studies being conducted by NYSERDA.
Data on the type and concentration of radioactivity that leaves the site
and enters the general environment are being collected through the
monitoring system set up around the site by NYSDEC.
If the goals of low-level nuclear waste disposal are confinement and
containment of the waste for the duration of its hazardous lifetime, then the
low-level waste buried at West Valley may require containment on the order
of several hundred to several thousand years. Based on available
hydrogeological and radiological data, the following primary conclusions have
been drawn:
In the fourteen years of operation, the north trenches at the West
Valley site have not met these goals.
At present, radioactive material that has seeped or been pumped from
the burial area does not appear to have significant health implications in
terms of offsite dose levels.
The West Valley site does not meet 3 of 9 recommendations used for
evaluating low-level radioactive waste disposal sites.
The West Valley does not meet 3 of 13 recommendations for evaluating
a secure hazardous waste landfill.
More data may be needed to determine how the site can be made to
meet its basic purpose which is retention of the waste for its hazardous
lifetime.
Unless remedial measures are taken, erosion and trench water
infiltration may increase the rate of movement of radioactive material.
THE STATE OF NEW YORK IS COGNIZANT OF THE PROBLEMS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SITE AS THEY ARE NOW KNOWN AND IS
ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE, INITIATE, AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE
REMEDIAL ACTIONS WITH FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.
Based on experience at the West Valley site and at other similar sites,
the following general conclusions have been drawn:
If the goal of shallow land disposal is 100 percent retention of the waste
for the duration of its hazardous lifetime, the goal cannot be met under
present conditions at West Valley. Improvements are needed in the waste
forms (solidification), containers, and methods of trench constructions; if
West Valley and other nuclear waste burial sites in humid climates are to
achieve this goal.
Additional Federal guidance in the form of criteria or standards, has
been requested by the States and is needed to control the siting, licensing,
operation, and maintenance of shallow land low-level nuclear waste disposal
facilities.
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Vll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ........ i
Acknowledgements ...... iii
Executive Summary ...... iv
Table of Contents ....... vii
Table of Figures ....... ix
Table of Tables ....... xi
I. INTRODUCTION. ..... 1
a. Background
b. Purpose
I I. METHODOLOGY AND PARTICIPANTS . 5
a. Literature Survey
b. Lithological Boring Study
I I I. DATA-PREVIOUS STUDIES .... 10
a. Site Description
b. Burial Operations and Maintenance
c. Source Term
d. Dose Pathways Studies
e. Field Observations
I V. LITHOLOGY AND LITHOLOGICAL
BORING DATA .25
a. Radiochemical Data
b. Lithology
V. ANALYSIS 54
a. Radioachemical Data
b. Hydrogeological Data
c. Dose Assessment
V I. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ... 70
a. Comparison with Low-level
Burial Criteria
b. Comparison with Hazardous Waste
Secure Landfill Recommendations
c. Conclusions
V I I. RECOMMENDATIONS AND FOLLOW
UP ACTIVITIES 79
a. Future Studies at West Valley
b. Monitoring Programs
c. Generic Recommendations
d. Recommendations for the West
Valley Site
References ........ 83
Appendix A SITE GEOLOGY 87
Appendix B SITE HYDROLOGY .... 99
Appendix C CONDITIONS AND AMENDMENTS TO
NFS BURIAL WASTE LICENSE . . 105
Appendix D GENERAL LOW-LEVEL WASTE
CATEGORIZATION . . . .111
Appendix E TRITIUM DEPOSITION STUDIES . .117
Appendix F SECURE HAZARDOUS WASTE
LANDFILL DISPOSAL CRITERIA
BACKGROUND 119
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TABLE OF FIGURES
IX
Figure 1. Geography of NFS Site ..... 2
Figure 2. Map of NFS Site 3
Figure 3. Location of Bore Holes Around Trenches . . 9
Figure ^. East-West Cross Section of South Burial Area . . 12
Figure 5. Photograph of Stacked Waste . . . . 12A
Figure 6. Cross Section of a Trench . . . . .14
Figure 7. Meyer and Davis Field Map . . . . .26
FigureS. Hole 1: Tritium Concentration vs Depth. . . 35
Figure 9. Hole 2: " " " " . 36
Figure 10. Hole 3; " " " " . 37
Figure 11. Hole 4: " " " " . 38
Figure 12. Hole 5: " " " " . 39
Figure 13. Hole 6: " " " " . 40
Figure 14. Hole 7B: " " " "... 41
Figure 15. Hole 8: " " " " . 42
Figure 16. Hole 9. " " " " . 43
Figure 17. Hole 10: " " " " . 44
Figure 18. Photograph of Irregular 3ointing in Trench
Side-Walls 50A
Figure 19. Photograph of Surface Outcrop of Weathered
Till 50B
Figure 20A. Photograph of Sand Lense in Trench 12 . . . 52A
Figure 20B. East-West Cross-Section of South End of
Burial Site ........ 53
Figure 21. Proposed Contamination Pathways . . .55
Figure 22. "Micro-Hydrogeologic" System . . . .61
Figure 23. Relationship of Burial Site "Micro-
Hydrogeologic" System . . . . .63
Figure 24. North-South Cross-Section of North
Burial Area ....... 65
Figure 25. Water Levels in Burial Trenches vs Time . . 67
Figure 26. Photograph of Site Erosion ..... 68A
Figure A-l. Boring Location Plan of WNYNSC . . . .89
Figure A-2. Stratigraphic Cross Section of WNYNSC . .91
Figure A-3. Distribution and Lithology of WNYNSC . . .93
Figure A-4. Geologic Cross Sections of WNYNSC . . .94
Figure B-l. Water Table Contours . . . . . .116
Figure B-2. Shallow Artesian Aquifer . . . . .119
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TABLE OF TABLES
Table 1. Volume of Waste Buried by Trench . . 17
Table 2. Curie Quantities of Radionuclides Buried . 18
Table 3. Log of Pesticide Shipments Buried. ... 20
Table 4. West Valley Data Analyzed by RSL ... 27
Table 5. West Valley Data Analyzed by NFS ... 34
Table 6. Soil Descriptions of Core Samples .... 45
Table 7. Water Levels in Completed Holes .... 49
Table 8. Relative Properties of Hydrogeological Units . . 62
Table 9. Radioactive Waste Disposal Siting Recommendations 71
Table 10. Hazardous Secure Waste Landfill Recommendations 74
Table B-l. Hydrologic and Physical Properties of Tills
in Drill Hole 7 103
Table D-l. Typical Radioactivity Content in Solid Waste-PWR 113
Table D-2. Typical Radioactivity Content in Solid Waste-BWR 114
Table D-3. Estimated Annual Radwaste Volumes and Activity 116
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I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background
The State of New York authorized the establishment of a commercially
operated, low-level radioactive waste disposal area on part of a larger site
containing a facility for the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. A site in
Cattaraugus County known as West Valley was evaluated and approved as
suitable for a fuel reprocessing plant. Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS), the
reprocessing plant operator, was licensed to operate the disposal site and in
November 1963 the first radioactive material was buried. Figure 1 shows the
location of the site. Shallow trenches were dug to hold the waste and an
earthen cap (cover) was placed over each trench after it was filled with the
waste.
In the mid 1960's all burial trenches in the northern portion of the site
began to fill with water shortly after they had been covered. This posed a
serious potential problem as the water could carry buried radionuclides out of
the trenches and into the environment. To eliminate or reduce the water
accumulation, burial procedures were changed for trenches in the southern
portion of the site. The new procedures were required by the State in 1968
and stipulated new trench capping methods be used to prevent surface water
from entering the trenches. To date, no significant water accumulation has
occurred in the south trenches. Figure 2 is a map of the site showing the
location of the various trenches.
In the early 1970's the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYSDEC) detected small increases in the levels of
radioactivity in streams adjacent to the burial site area. The NYSDEC
hypothesized that these increased levels were caused by either burial site
surface contamination or by migration of radioactivity from the trenches and
asked EPA to assist in determining which pathway was the most prevalent.
Based on the NYSDEC request EPA agreed to provide funds and
technical assistance to support a lithological boring study to examine (1) the
amount, if any, of radioactive material moving or migrating from the site; (2)
factors leading to any movement or migration; (3) generic problems of
disposal sites in humid climates; (4) effects of burial operations; and (5)
possible improvements in the areas of site selection, development, and
operation to reduce environmental impacts of the site. The study was
performed during the winter of 1973 and the spring of 1974.
By 1974 three of the trenches in the north area had developed high
levels of water. Water levels in the south trenches, where modified capping
procedures had been used, remained low. In March 1975 water in one trench
(trench 4) in the north area seeped through the trench cap. The contaminated
surface runoff from this seepage was detected by the NYSDEC surveillance
program and confirmed during an onsite inspection. A similar seepage was
noted shortly thereafter along the west side of the cap on trench 5 /!/. Based
on this occurrence, NFS closed the burial site and it has r»ot been reopened.
During the period from October 1963 through March 1975 more than
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"Cattaraugas Creek
.Buttermilk Creek
Reprocessing Plant
\
iman Brook
-Storage Lagoons
y
Low-Level Burial
Site
igh-Le(^el Burial Site
Figure 1: Geography of the WNYNSC Site
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Figure 2 - Map of NFS Site
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2,000,000 cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste were buried in the West
Valley trenches. Kilocurie quantities of strontium-90, tritium, carbon-1^, and
cobalt-60 have been emplaced in the trenches along with such isotopes as
radium-226, plutonium-239, uranium-233, uranium-235, and thorium-232.
The NYSDEC and NFS agreed that a program to control the water
levels in the north trenches was needed to prevent further leakage. Shortly
after the first seepage was detected, NYSDEC approved a NFS plan to pump
water from the trenches with high water levels. The water was pumped to a
low-level liquid radioactive waste treatment facility which was part of the
fuel reprocessing facility for treatment. The water was then diluted and
released into Erdman Brook (also known as Frank's Creek) under carefully
controlled conditions.
The NYSDEC evaluated the potential health effects of the proposed
pump down and treatment operation and determined that the pump down,
treatment procedure, and the release of the treated trench water could be
conducted in a manner which would minimize dose levels to man.* A pump
down of 267,000 gallons from three north area trenches was initiated in
March 1975.
Pumping water from the burial trenches to alleviate the potential
impact of trench leakage is regarded by all cognizant state agencies and EPA
as an unacceptable procedure for long-term maintenance of the burial site.
The pump down and treatment operation may, however, be used as an interim
measure to maintain positive control over radioactive releases to ensure that
they are small and that they do not pose significant danger to man or the
environment.
B. Purpose
The purpose of this report is to take the information gathered in the
lithological boring study along with information from other pertinent studies
performed on the site through March 1975 and examine the several pathways,
actual and potential, for radioactivity to move from the site. Using the same
information an examination of the status of this site will be compared with
recommendations made for low-level nuclear waste disposal sites and
hazardous material disposal sites. Possible improvements in the areas of the
site selection, development, and operation to reduce environmental impacts
of this and similar sites will be recommended. Finally, follow up studies that
are either needed or being performed will be described.
* Dose levels were estimated by NYSDEC to be below 0.001 mrem the
maximally exposed person from all pathways resulting from the pump down
The dose was estimated by NYSDEC to be less than 1.0 man-rem.
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II. METHODOLOGY AND PARTICIPANTS
This report represent two separate and individual tasks. The first task
involved a literature survey of past studies conducted during the siting,
development, operation, and maintenance of the low-level burial site until
March 1975. The second major task involved the lithological boring study of
the site performed during the winter of 1973 and the spring of 1974.
A. Literature Survey
Studies conducted on the West Valley site fall into five categories: (1)
siting studies, (2) outside surveillance reports, (3) NFS surveillance and
operational reports, (4) health effects studies, and (5) field observation
studies. In general, most of the studies encountered do not concentrate on, or
are specific to, the burial area but refer to the entire fuel reprocessing and
low-level radioactive waste disposal facility site that is officially known as
the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC).
Siting Studies
The New York Geological Survey (NYGS) and the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geological, hydrological, and geophysical
evaluations for siting of a facility for the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
elements and the storage of high- and low-level radioactive wastes. These
studies are best summarized in a paper entitled "Geology and Hydrology of
the Western New York Nuclear Service Center" /2/. In general, the main
objective of most siting studies was finding a suitable site for a reprocessing
plant. There was less emphasis on the suitability of the site for low-level
radioactive waste disposal.
Outside Surveillance Studies
Most of the outside surveillance reports for the site were performed by
the NYSDEC*. The NYSDEC maintains an ambient radiation monitoring
network throughout the state with several types of monitors being located
around the NFS site. The NYSDEC publishes data from this network in
quarterly and annual reports. The NYSDEC also performed a study under
contract from EPA to survey the amount and type of radionuclides buried in
the West Valley trenches from October 1963 to December 1972.
*Prior to 1970, the date NYSDEC was created, the New York State
Department of Health performed environmental surveillance of the site.
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In 3uly 1968, the New York State Department of Health's Bureau of
Radiological Health (NYSBRH) issued a document entitled "Environmental
Surveillance Report Around Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., Ashford, Cattaraugus
County, New York (1965-1967)" /3/. This report evaluated releases from the
fuel reprocessing plant and stated that there were "levels of radioactivity
which were found in fish and deer which the NYSBRH felt should be reduced
to as low a level as practicable in order to keep the risk to public health as
low as possible."
The Surveillance Report was important in pointing out the high
background levels caused by the reprocessing facility. Since any burial
ground activity affecting the site monitoring measurements was small in
comparison to the reprocessing plant activity, it was difficult to determine if
and how much radioactivity was moving from the burial site. This difficulty
should lessen in the future as the reprocessing plant has not been in operation
since 1972.
NFS Surveillance Studies
Since 1966 NFS has published serni-annual environmental reports
describing the results of its ambient monitoring program. These reports
contain an inventory of radionuclides emitted from the reprocessing activities
as well as the results of ambient surveillance. The monitoring program has
concentrated on the more critical fuel reprocessing plant and reveals little
about burial activities. It is impossible to tell from the data how much, if
any, radioactivity is moving from the burial area.
In September 197^ NFS issued a report entitled "Low-Level Radioactive
Waste Management Research Project Final Report" /ft/. This report was the
product of a low-level waste research project that NFS had agreed with
MYSERDA to undertake. The objectives of the research project were to
characterize the waste being buried, to look at burial site characteristics, to
evaluate alternate processes for solidification, and to develop disposal
standards. The project included the NYSDEC recommended and EPA funded
lithological boring study to evaluate radionuclide migration. As data were
collected for this report, it became apparent that the topics associated with
these objectives were more complex than originally believed. Waste
characterization was limited to identifying the radionuclides in liquid
effluents, evaporator systems, and ion-exchange resins found in pressurized
water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) plants. The study also
sought to analyze data collected as part of the lithological boring study.
This Final Report discussed alternate solidification processes for liquid
low-level wastes and contained an outline of desirable disposal standards.
The relative advantages of using cement, vermiculite-cement, microcell, urea
formaldehyde, chemical, and asphalt techniques to solidify or immoblize
liquid wastes were also discussed. Although desirable standards for the
disposal of radioactive wastes were discussed, no attempt was made to
propose solutions to the specific problems found at West Valley. The
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appendix of the Final Report includes the siting study mentioned earlier /2/, a
seismic study /5/, a physical description of the bore holes of the lithological
boring program, and a comparison of cement and urea formaldehyde as
solidification agents.
Dose Pathways Studies
A comprehensive evaluation of the dose pathways attributed to releases
of radioactivity from the NFS reprocessing plant is provided by Magno et al.
/6/. This study deals with only the liquid discharge from the reprocessing
plant; however, it is of value in assessing the dose contribution of the trench
pump down procedures. It is an important study because trench pump down
discharges are treated and released through NFS's low-level waste treatment
system, the same physical route as that for liquid releases from the fuel
reprocessing operation. Magno et al. estimated the dose commitments to the
population fishing the Cattaraugus Creek near the NFS plant during 1971 in
this study. These dose estimates were based on empirical measurements of
stream and discharge flow rates, quantities of radionuclides discharged,
concentrations of radionuclides in fish, the number of people fishing the area,
the quantity and type of fish caught and consumed, and a survey of the
duration and number of times individuals fished the streams surveyed.
Quantitative measurements of effective dilution factors, stream absorption
factors, and water dilution factors were presented in an earlier report by
Magno et al. [7J.
Field Observations
Field observation studies of the site have been conducted at various
times. Three field reconnaissances of the burial site and the area around it
were made by investigators from New York State and the Federal government
/8/. Members of the NYSDEC staff also performed field reconnaissance /9/.
B. Lithological Boring Study
Methodology
During November and December of 1973 ten vertical borings
approximately ten to fifteen feet from the trench perimeters were drilled to
a depth of 50 feet. This work was funded by NYSERDA. Geologic logs were
kept for these borings. The cores from the holes were analyzed for tritium
(H-3) every 5 feet, and were used to determine H-3 concentrations. These
holes were numbered holes 1,2,3,4,5,6,76,8,9,10.
Eight additional holes were drilled in April 1974 after EPA funding
became available. These holes were 25 feet deep and were sampled with
Shelby tubes. The holes were located at the north end near trench 4 and at
the south end near trenches 9 and 10. The Shelby tube samples were analyzed
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for tritium every 1.5 feet. Two of these holes (12 and 13) were drilled at a 25
degree angle and to a depth of 25 feet just west of trench 5 to determine if
migration was occuring below the trenches. Slant hole 12 intersected trench
5, and the other was drilled under the trench. These eight additional borings
were also analyzed for tritium content. Figure 3 gives the location of the
borings made in November and December 1973 and April 1974.
Participants
In 1972, the NYSDEC monitoring program detected increased tritium
levels downstream from the burial site. To ascertain the source of the
tritium, NYSDEC recommended that a lithological study be performed to
determine if subsurface migration of tritium from the low-level burial area
was occurring. As a result of this recommendation, NYSERDA, and later
EPA, committed funds for the program. During the study, NYSDEC acted as
the Project Coordinator and provided technical assistance. The EPA's Office
of Radiation Programs provided technical assistance in planning and
executing the boring program.
For the lithological study, NYSERDA performed the Project Manager
role by contracting and supervising the boring program and sample analyses.
The sample analyses were performed by the New York State Department of
Health Radiological Sciences Laboratory (RSL). Some samples were cross
checked by the NFS Laboratory.
Although the lithological boring program has been completed, studies of
the site still continue with some being based on the preliminary findings from
this boring study. These ongoing studies are being performed by NYSDEC,
NYSERDA, EPA, and other State and Federal agencies and are described in
the final chapter of this report.
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FUEL HARDWARE
BURIAL AREA
BARBED WIRE
CHAIN-LINKED
FENCE
1<
10
8
•8
-,_9[£ 9B-
FIGURE 3: LOCATION OF BORINGS MADE IN WINTER 1973 AND SPRING 1974.
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10
HI. DATA PREVIOUS STUDIES
A. Site Description
The West Valley site is located on a small plateau that is cut by
Buttermilk Creek and its tributaries. Buttermilk Creek empties into
Cattaraugus Creek and finally into Lake Erie, 39 miles away. All surface and
subsurface water from the site flows into Buttermilk Creek and its tributaries.
The NYSERDA owns all of the Buttermilk Creek Valley from the mouth of the
creek to approximately 5 miles upstream and leases the site to NFS. The
cities and villages downstream from the site do not use Cattaraugus or
Buttermilk Creek water for domestic purposes. A map of the site is shown in
Figure 1. The precise burial site specified in the NFS application to New York
State is 1,000 feet southeast of the chemical nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
and 4,050 feet from the nearest tract perimeter. The burial site is bounded by
Erdman Brook (Frank's Creek) to the east and by a tributary of the same creek
to the northwest as shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the location of the
burial site with respect to the reprocessing plant complex.
The central section of the site is on a rolling plain approximately 1,380
feet above sea level. Buttermilk Creek and its tributaries cut through the
plain about 100 feet below its surface. The valley walls of the Creek are steep
and badly slumped in places. The surface drainage system is not well
integrated and consequently provides good drainage of the site. However, a
marshy area does exist to the south of the burial area.
Climatological data for the site were recorded at surrounding stations.
The temperature data were taken at Franklinville, which is 12.3 miles south of
the site. The average temperature was 45 F taken over a 13-year period.
Rainfall and snowfall were averaged from data recorded at surrounding
stations. The annual rainfall was 40 inches and the annual snowfall was 80 to
100 inches averaged over a 10 to 15 year period /10/.
In addition to surface geologic and hydrologic studies made by the NYGS
and USGS in 1963, subsurface studies were also conducted. One-hundred and
eight power auger holes and 14 deep wells were drilled, and a seismic survey
was performed. Although these studies gave a good profile for siting the fuel
reprocessing plant, only a few borings were applicable to determine the
suitability of the area for the burial of low-level radioactive wastes.
The entire site is 3,345 acres; the designated burial site is approximately
25 acres, 6 of which are used for burial /ll/. Approximately 3 to 5 of the 108
power auger holes were bored in the vicinity of the burial site. If the
subsurface studies were intended to determine the suitability of the area for
burial, more drillings may have been needed in that area. More detailed
reports of the original studies can be found in the NFS's Preliminary Safety
Analysis Report (PSAR), the Safety Analysis Report (SAR), and the
Environmental Report. Appendix A contains a description of the methodology
used in the subsurface siting investigation as well as a description of the
-------
11
geological findings from the investigations. Appendix B contains a description
of the general hydrology of the site.
B. Burial Operations and Maintenance
Past Burial Operations
Since it opened in 1963, the West Valley site has handled more than
2,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste material. The operation of the site
was regulated by a license granted to NFS in November 1963 by NYSBRH. The
regulatory authority for the site was transferred from NYSBRH to NYSDEC in
October 1974. During the time that the burial site was in operation, the
original license was amended considerably. The amendments included major
alternations and minor refinements and reflected the experience gained from
operation of the West Valley burial site. While no amendments have been
added since 1969, an updated permit was being considered by NYSDEC in 1975.
At present, NFS is negotiating with NYSERDA to terminate their use of the
site. The conditions and amendments written into the NFS burial license are
enumerated in Appendix C.
The designated burial area was prepared for use by partially leveling the
land. This procedure uncovered areas of weathered till in the southern part of
the burial area, as shown in Figure 4b. The removal of the relatively
permeable overburden on the silty till in the southern portion of the site may
be an important factor that has minimized water infiltration into trenches 8
through 14.
Burial trenches were excavated to a depth of 20 feet and width of 30
feet. Excavation was achieved by use of a bulldozer which would back into the
trench, down a ramp toward the face of the waste pile. The blade would make
a cut on its upward pass, mixing the excavated material and piling it on top of
a previously completed trench adjacent to the one being excavated. This
procedure would help compact the newly completed trench. Usually a trench
was opened a segment (150 to 200 feet) at a time, and less than fifty feet of
open trench floor was maintained in front of the leading edge of the waste
pile. The procedure minimized the inflow of rain and runoff to the trench.
However, some water would still accumulate at the bottom of the open trench,
become radioactively contaminated, and be brought to the surface area
adjacent to the trench by way of the bulldozer's tread or blade. A completed
trench was up to 800 feet long /8/.
Waste containers consisting of 55-gallon drums and rectangular
containers made of cardboard, wood, and concrete were laid into the trench by
hand and stacked on their sides. After placement, there was a large volume of
void space remaining between the horizontally laid drums, casks, boxes, and
bags of waste /8/. In one case, the wastes were stacked above the graded
plane of the trench (Figure 5). Containers with high levels of external
radiation were placed in the trench by means of a crane. Containers that were
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12
ELEVATION IN FEET
ABOVE SEA LEVEL
1400 r-
_,20
O
IO
1380
136.
1340
111
SCALE
t IN FEET
100 200
Soil
Fonce
Weathered Till
Sand Body
Unweathered Till
A. ORIGINAL GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS AT SITE.
1360
1340
Fence
Unweathered Till
B. SITE AFTER GRADING AND PREPARATION FOR BURIAL OPERATIONS.
1400
1380
1360
1340
Spoil Pile
Soil
Soil
Weathered Till
Unweathered Till
C. SITE AFTER BURIAL OPERATIONS COMMENCED.
4: EAST-WEST CROSS SECTIONS OF SOUTH END OF COMMERCIAL -
GROUNDS AT NFS. THE CROSS SECTIONS INTERPRET THE GEOLOGY
OF THE SOUTH END OF THE BURIAL GROUNDS A) IN ITS ORIGINAL STATE, B)
AFTER PREPARATION FOR BURIAL OPERATIONS, AND C) DURING BURIAL. THIS
INTERPRETATION IS BASED ON DATA FROM CORE HOLES, TOPOGRAPHIC
MAPS, AND FIELD INFORMATION.
-------
.
FIGURE 5: PHOTOGRAPH OF WASTES PILED ABOVE THE GRADED SURFACE
-------
13
too heavy to be laid by hand were also placed in the trench by crane. A row of
individual holes was provided within the confines of trench 7 to handle
containers that had to be covered immediately for shielding purposes.
Starting with trench 8 in the south portion of the site, waste material in
an operating trench was covered with b feet of soil. When a trench finally
reached capacity, it received a mounded cover approximately 8 feet in depth.
Figure <4- shows a cross section of the south burial area. As noted, the soil from
each new trench excavation was piled on top of the previous trench. This
resulted in some degree of soil compaction. After about four trenches had
been completed, a grass-vegetative cover was started over a completed
trench. Figure 6 shows a cross section of a burial trench with the cover
requirements used since the 1968 permit amendment. Davis observed during a
field trip to the site that "the result of this operation is a very pervious landfill
with a moderately well but apparently not optimal well compacted shell or
cover. Whereas an ideal landfill operation consists of many individual sealed
cells, this one consists of one heaped and covered cell" /8/.
Several problems associated with burial operations and trench
maintenance have been identified by NYSDEC and in many cases some
corrective measures were implemented for subsequent operations /12/.
Soil Failures
Some of the trench walls have experienced soil shear failures particularly
during wet conditionso During some early excavations, the adjacent completed
trench material was reexposed due to these shear failures. This occurrence
has been prevented by increasing trench separation from 6 to 10 feet and by
more stringently controll of trench center lines as specified in the 1968 permit
amendments.
— Erosion
Two sides of the north burial area have steep slopes. During times of
heavy rainfall, rapid surface water runoff has caused significant soil erosion to
these slopes.
Shrinkage Cracks, Undermining Holes, and Settlement Cracks
During periods of dry weather, the clay fill over the trenches shrinks and
cracks to considerable depths. Holes frequently appear in the cover during the
first two or three years after a trench is completed. This is indicative of
undermining; the clay particles are washed down into the void spaces, leaving a
hole in the surface.
Natural compacting of the waste has also increased the rate of
settlement of the trench cover. These settlement areas must be built up
again, either by adding soil fill or by reworking the trench cover. These
-------
seeded cover
ditch
Trench Cross Section As Excavated
final cover to
provide 8'
minimum cover
4' minimum cover for
initial backfill
Trench Cross Section As Filled
sump
600'
20' min.
depth
Longitudinal Trench Section
FIGURE 6. COMMERCIAL BURIAL TRENCH
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15
remedial actions have not, however, been sufficient to prevent water
accumulation to unacceptable levels in three of the north end trenches as
discussed later. Further, these remedial actions, along with the movement of
heavy machinery to effectuate them, result in some destruction of the
vegetative cover of the trench area thereby extending the period over which
cracking occurs.
Trench Water Level Rise (See Figure 25)
After trenches were completed, water began to accumulate in the trench
bottom (the water level is monitored by sumps in each completed trench).
Except for three north end trenches (3, 4, and 5), the water level rose only 5 to
10 feet during the first two to three years after trench completion and
thereafter remained essentially at a consistent level. Trenches 3, k, and 5,
however, continued to accumulate water from the mid 1960's until in the spring
of 1975 when the water in trenches 4 and 5 began to seep through the trench
cover. As a result of this occurrence, site burial operations were stopped by
NFS and no additional material has since been buried. After the previously
mentioned health evaluations, NYSDEC approved the pump down of trenches 3,
4, and 5. The water was routed to the low-level waste treatment facility (part
of the reprocessing plant complex) and after treatment and dilution, released
to Buttermilk Creek.
The south end trenches were designed with thicker caps, as specified in
the 1968 amendments to the NFS operating license, and have not experienced
increased water levels. Evidence to date is that water levels in the south end
trenches have not risen significantly because of better capping procedures.
However, it may only be a matter of time before the trenches in the south
burial area start to settle and it may not be possible to prevent water
infiltration by routine maintenance.
C. Source Term
To better understand the NFS burial site NYSDEC, acting upon a request
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with funding from EPA,
conducted an inventory of the radioactive materials buried at the site. The
inventory included the volume, type of waste, shipper, and quantity of
radionuclides. The study ran from December 1972 through February 1973 and
surveyed over 1,700,000 cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste which had
been buried between October 1963 and December 1972. The following text and
tables were extracted from a report issued in 1973 by Kelleher and Michael
/13/. Information concerning studies characterizing low-level wastes on a
generic basis is presented in Appendix D.
Table 1 shows the NFS estimates of the volume of soil excavated and the
volume of waste buried for each individual trench. The percentage of waste to
excavated volume ranges from approximately 38 to 70 percent. The higher
percentage reflects the use of soil for shielding purposes and for backfilling of
trenches that had experienced soil shear failures. Most shipping containers are
-------
16
not filled to capacity, and there is also considerable air space between the
containers in the trench making the effective use of excavated volume about
20 to 30 percent.
Table 2 is a breakdown by trench of the quantities of various
radionuclides buried. With the exception of trench 4, only trace quantities of
Sr-90 were found in the trenches. For this reason, a separate column for Sr-90
was not included in Table 2. In trench 4 there are approximately 15,763 curies
of Sr-90 which were the result of an industry shipment after the
discontinuance of the space battery program in 1966-1967.
The by-product material (BPM) shown in the table includes radium and
accelerator made radioactive material. Source material (SM) includes
thorium-238 and natural uranium in pounds. The special nuclear material
(SNM) expressed in grams, includes Pu-238, Pu-239, U-235, and U-233. There
were 2.0 kilograms of Pu-238 and 1.5 kilograms of Pu-239 buried at the site
until the practice of burying plutonium was stopped at the request of the State
in 1973. Pu-238 is expressed in both curies and grams on Table 2. Shippers
listed the Pu-238 by curies, and a direct conversion can be made to grams
using a specific activity of 17.4 Ci/gm.
The isotope in greatest amount in terms of curies is tritium. Large
shipments of over 500 Ci of H-3 were common and are probably tritium
targets. The Co-60 buried in trench 5 is from large sealed sources from one
shipper. The mixed fission products come mainly from nuclear power plants.
The C-14 appears to come from sources such as medical and educational
institutions, but is shipped by waste disposal firms. The mixture of H-3 and C-
14 was listed separately because the mixture frequently appears in the shipping
records. There was no way to determine the percentage of each isotope
present because much of the tritium Listed in the tritium column comes from
targets, and it would be incorrect to use the ratio of C-14 to tritium obtained
from the separate columns to estimate the individual amounts of C-14 and
tritium in the mixture column.
Ra-226 is present in all of the trenches, with one shipment of
approximately 2 Ci being a Ra-Be neutron source. Am-241 shipments increased
in later years with the major source being an industry in New York State which
manufactures sealed americium oxide sources. The Pu-238 comes from an out-
of-state industry that produces plutonium power sources. The amount of Pu-
239 in the Pu-238 was not provided on the shipping records but it may be as
high as 20 percent by weight.
The mixture of isotopes contains many short and some long half-life
materials. The shipping records indicate curies of radioactive material at the
point of shipment with no correction for decay. While substantial number of
curies may have been indicated at the time of shipment, the short-lived
isotopes would have decayed away. In some cases the shipping records were
incorrect. As an example, Tc-99 with a half-life of 212,000 years was listed in
-------
17
Table 1 [13]
Volumes Buried by Type of Facility
Trench
, 11
10
9
8
5
4
3
2*
1*
7
6
Dates
Start
5/72
6/71
10/70
1/69
5/67
10/65
7/64
5/64
11/63
11/65
7/70
Stop
12/72
5/72
6/73
11/70
2/69
6/67
11/65
10/64
5/64
3/66
10/70
Waste
Vol. Ft3
182,769
182,462
173,722
252,435
278,601
274,416
198,675
114,246
55,275
2,465
75
Excavated
Vol. Ft3
362,000
362,000
362,000
390,000
432,000
460,000
450,000
Precentaqe of Volume*^
1
fi 8
5.6
1.6
0.6
2.0
4.0
5.2
3.0
0.7
-
—
2
1 ,5
2.9
1.5
2.0
1.3
1.0
0.4
0.2
1.1
-
~
3
in.?
8.5
9.0
16.0
16.2
21.9
19.9
24.0
41.8
5.7
•"
4
31 . 3
15.5
14.0
24.6
22.1
23.7
40.0
53.6
4.8
-
_
5
15.1
34.4
18.7
75.2
21.2
11.8
0
—
_
-
•"
6
35.0
33.0
55.2
31.6
37.2
37.6
34.5
19.2
51.6
94.3
100. (
* 1 and 2 are the same trench
** 1 - Nuclear power plants
2 - Institutional, education, & hospitals
3 - Federal government
4 - Industrial, pharmaceutical manufacturers, & industrial research
5 - Nuclear Fuel Services at West Valley, N.Y. & at Erwin, Tennessee
6 - Waste disposal and decontamination companies
-------
Table 2 [13]
Quantities of Nuclides Buried In
State Licensed Site
Trench #
19
29
3
410
5
06
75
8
9
10
11
1
Total1 Ci
BPM + Pu-238
4,117
2,215
17,061
67,117
92,832
10,245
1,568
38,671
34,158
54,893
53,531
BPM2
Ci
4,117
2,215
17,061
67,117
90,432
10,245
1,568
34,757
27,323
39,667
46,704
SNM3
gr
2,858
659
1,894
8,333
3,579
-
-
13,074
4,550
3,139
6,151
SM4
Ibs.
739
553
44,583
140,825
24,924
-
-
321,226
43,777
101,614
80,092
SNM - Grams
Pu-238
-
-
0.1
-
138
-
-
224
393
862
392
Pu-239
-
9
100
476
298
-
-
453
94
63
1
U-235
2,858
650
1,794
7,857
3,143
-
294
12,397
3,804
2,214
5,758
U-233
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
.-
255
-
—
SM - Ibs.
Th-232
630
-
108
-
5,203
-
-
7,460
510
268
1,037
U-238 +
U-Nat
109 ,
553
44,403
140,825
19,721
-
-
313,766
43,267
101,346
79,055
See footnotes on next page
-------
Table 2 (Continued)
Quantities of Nuclides Buried In
State Licensed Site
BPM - Curies
ijrench #
I9
29
3
'' 410
i ^
5
66
75
8
9
10
:
11
H-3
17
8
667
3,768
10,772
15,771
7,843
31,711
36,139
C-14
1
_
5
8
3
35
15
33
342
H-3 &
C-14
0.3
620
5,498
11,758
10,325
3,221
12,767
2,954
5,090
Co- 60
34
139
4,017
171
46,469
10.208
254
13,188
139
1,827
264
Cs-137
_ ,
_
_
3
0.1
1
9
3
3
1-125
1-131
_.
_
98
180
46
31
12
71
6
Ra-226
_
0.2
0.5
1.67
0.6
1.625
014
.003
1.0
Am- 241
_
.
_
1.5
5
4
7
MFP7
556
915
2,808
15,088
67
191
330
292
586
Mix &
Misc.
566
533
3,968
37,139
22.749
37
1.314
2.316
6,203
2,992
4,266
Pu-238
Curies
3,499
_
0.1
2.400
3.914
6.835
15,006
6,827
1. Total Ci includes Pu-238 plus BPM.
2. BPM - By-product Material includes radium and accelerator made radioisotopes.
3. SNM - .Special Nuclear Material.
4. SM - Source Material.
5. Trench #7 - short trench concrete encapsulated.
6. Area for Trench #6 set aside for holes to contain high external radiation Shipment.
7. MFP - Mixed Fission Products.
8. U enriched in U-235
9. 1 and 2 are the same trench
10. Mix & Misc. - Mixture & Miscellaneous includes 15,763 Ci of Sr-90.
-------
20
Table 3 [13]
Record of Pesticides Shipments
Date
5/67
12/66
2/69
12/68
9/68
7/68
5/68
3/68
1/68
12/67
10/70
7/70
6/70
5/70
3/70
10/69
9/69
7/69
5/69
5/71
4/72
1/72
8/71
11/72
8/72
7/72
Trench
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
10
10
10
11
11
11
Shipper
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
TOTALS
Volume
(ft3)
22
10
15
10
8
30
9
9
18
18
24
11
11
24
20
15
15
12
22
13
24
30
25
36
38
28
497
Quantities & Isotopes
<0.1 mCi of 14c
<0.l mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
1 raCi of 3H and ^C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0:i mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
2 cCi of 14C
<0.1 tnCi of 14C
<0.1 nCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of !4C
<0.1 mCi of J4C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
2 mCi of 14C
<0.1 mCi of 14C
2 mCi of J4C
2 raCi of 14C
2 mCi of 14C
2 mCi of 14G
12 mCi of 14C
1 mCi of 3H & 14C
Total Shipments were 26
-------
21
some shipments in curie quantities whereas a check with the shipper indicated
the curies content was for Mo-99-Tc-99m, which has a half-life of 66 hours.
Since 1967, there have been a total of 26 shipments of pesticides
comprising 12 mCJ of C-14 and one mCi of H-3 and C-14 mixture. The total
volume of 497 ft came from a manufacturer of industrial pesticides in New
York State. While the shipping records indicated that the shipments were
pesticides, they did not specify the chemical or physical form. Further,
information provided subsequent to the NYSDEC inventory showed that much
of the pesticide waste was inert material and that the pesticides were
biodegradable. Therefore, these pesticide wastes are no longer considered
hazardous. Table 3 lists the date, trench, volume, and quantity of isotopes for
each pesticide shipment. A review of the inventory indicates these pesticides
are the only toxic materials listed in the shipping records to be buried at the
commercial burial site.
Most of the wastes buried at West Valley were shipped to the burial site
in 55-gallon (208 1) steel drums or in wooden or cardboard boxes and were
buried in their shipping containers. These burial containers are designed
primarily to contain the wastes during shipment and to protect workers. The
containment capability of these containers in water and leachate-saturated
conditions after burial is assumed to be negligible.
Although the burial site inventory describes the quantities and types of
radionuclides buried in the trenches, very little information is available from
the records on the chemical and physical characters of the wastes buried at
West Valley. Since it is probable that various industrial organic solvents are
present in these wastes, it is reasonable to assume that chemical and physical
reactions between the buried wastes and the surrounding burial environment
are significant.
If ground water or infiltrating surface water comes in contact with the
solid waste, leachate can be produced as at any landfill. Leachate is a solution
containing dissolved and finely suspended solid matter, and microbial waste
products. Depending on individual site conditions, the leachate may leave the
fill at the ground surface as a spring or it may migrate through the soil
laterally or vertically. Since the waste density is low, there is much oxygen
available for aerobic decomposition, which produces carbon dioxide, water, and
nitrate. As the oxygen supply diminishes, anaerobic decomposition produces
methane gas, carbon dioxide, water, organic acids, nitrogen, ammonia, and
sulfides of iron, manganese, and hydrogen. The production of carbon dioxide
could lead to the dissolving of strontium in the form of the bicarbonate. This
was confirmed by the high level of Sr-90 in the water pumped from trench 4.
D. Dose Pathways Studies
No studies of health effects from the West Valley low-level burial site
have been made because movement of radioactivity from the burial site had
been low. However, dose pathways from the adjacent fuel reprocessing plant
were well studied /6,7/.
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22
Magno et al. /6/ estimated doses from the fuel reprocessing plant
as follows:
Organ Mode Dose
Maximum Individual Population
(mrem) (man-rem)
Whole body Ingestion3 0.4 0.02
Whole body External 1 0.04
Bone Ingestion 7 0.3
(a) Includes contributions from cesium-137, cesium-134, and zinc-65.
(b) Dose from strontium-90.
The dose levels calculated by Magno et al. were based on measured
isotope concentrations in fish caught, number of fish ingested, and time
spent fishing Cattaraugus Creek.
The gross-beta and strontium-90 discharge inventories are listed
below.
Year Quantity Discharged
(Curies)
Gross Beta Strontium-90
1966 8
1967 31 4
1968 46 5
1969 140 10
1970 87 14
1971 77 7
As mentioned in Chapter II, these data are particularly useful in calculating
the dose from pump down and treatment operations subsequent to the seepage
incident, since the material pumped from the trenches and the material
released from the reprocessing plant received similar treatment and dilution
followed the same environmental pathway.
E. Field Observations
Field Reconnaisance
The reports on the West Valley area, such as the Safety Analysis Report
and the various environmental reports /14/ for the reprocessing plant, focused
on the plant. More detailed information relative to the burial site's physical
features and hydrogeology were needed for the lithological boring study.
Therefore, investigators from New York State and the Federal government
conducted three field reconnaisances of the burial site and the surrounding
area.
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23
Davis explained some specific inadequacies associated with past reports.
"To be sure, I am not convinced that we have a clearly defined two
or three layer system. The only reliable data to which one can
refer, in order to describe the low level rad-waste burial area, is this
most recent drilling program. It was with this attidude that Lew
Meyer and I walked over the site" /8/.
Davis and Meyer observed rapid erosion of the side areas of the burial site as
did Kelleher /15/. Davis and Meyer further reported that the "area needs to
be protected from further gullying, so that the meager mass of silty, clayey
earth between the radwaste burial trenches and the ravines is not further
notched and diminished" /8/.
Specific observations suggest that the burial media at the site is a clayey
silt which probably was deposited during the most recent retreat of the
continental glacier. It appears to consist of lacustrine deposits that have been
reworked by ice and running water. Davis could not tell from the field
reconnaissance whether the site consisted of till, lake beds, or both. He
recommended a detailed mapping of the deposits to determine their origin.
Davis and Meyer prepared a map (Figure 7) on their observations showing
areas where water seepage was detected. Three types of seepage were
defined:
1) spring - a place of small dimension (a square meter of less) from which
water was flowing and near which succulent or hydrophytic plants were
observed.
2) marshy area - an area larger than one square meter in size, where no
flow was seen, but hydrophytes were growing.
3) wet area - an area which had a concentration of succulent plants and
moisture to tolerant plants with no hydrophytes where oozing water was
observed.
The seepage zones on the flanks of the broad, relatively flat nose or platform
areas upon which surface the shallow burial trenches were excavated, filled,
and covered.
Davis also expressed concern about the composition of the unweathered
till zone. During the excavation of one trench a sand lense was observed. This
lense was observed in the south end of trench 12 and measured two feet in
thickness and sixty-five feet in length. The NYSBRH ordered site operation
stopped until NFS determined the areal extent of the sand lense. It was
determined to be a shallow dish shaped lense was limited in areal extent.
Burial operations were authorized to be resumed with the conditon that the
wastes would only be placed up to the bottom of the sand lense.
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24
Cap Leakage Observation
On March 8, 1975, NYSDEC performed a survey of the north burial area
after the leakage through the trench cover had been identified. Surface
contamination from 500 to greater than 80,000 cpm beta-gamma readings,
measured along the north end of trench 4, were observed. The survey utilized
a Thyac-Victoreen GM survey meter and exposure rates were measured in the
range of 0.1 mr/hr to 0.2 mr/hr at the two-inch level /!/. This uncontrolled
discharge was in violation of NYSDEC's water pollution regulations and an
abatement action was initiated by NYSDEC.
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25
IV. LITHOLOGY AND LITHOLOGICAL BORING PROGRAM DATA
A. Radiochemical Data
The location of the holes drilled as part of the lithological boring
program is shown in Figure 3. The holes were drilled approximately ten to
fifteen feet from the trench perimeters. A precise determination of the
location of the holes with respect to the trenches is not possible because the
trench perimeters are poorly defined and the trench side walls are not
vertical. The cores taken from each boring were analyzed by NFS and the
Radiological Science Laboratory of the New York State Department of
Health (RSL). For the purposes of this report, the RSL data have been
graphed since analysis error ranges were recorded. The core samples were
analyzed by RSL for tritium, strontium-90, cesium-134, cesium-137,
ruthenium-106, cobalt-60, and antimony-125. These data are contained in
Table 4. NFS data, which are contained in Table 5, were analyzed onsite and
the analyses may be subject to outside interference from the residue of the
fuel reprocessing plant activities.
Figure 8 through Figure 17 show the relationship between the depth of
the boring and the tritium concentration at that depth for each hole. Two
feet cores were analyzed for a particular depth (i.e., a 4' - 6' core was
analyzed) and the tritium concentration was recorded at the 5' depth. With
two exceptions, the simple soil descriptions were provided by NFS for each
boring. The NFS descriptive data are listed in Table 6 for information. The
drillers logs appear to be crude from a geological viewpoint and do not
provide much information. The soil descriptions used in this report have been
divided during a field reconnaisance by Meyer into the following:
fill: clayey, silty, moist, grey and brown mottled, firm to soft.
jointed-fractured weathered till: tough, homogeneous brown with
scattered gravel bits, with joints and fractures throughout.
unweathered till: grey, plastic clay, scattered gravel, occasional buff-
colored spots, some pebbles.
Data on the presence of water in the holes during coring operations
were extracted by Kelleher from the driller's logs. Kelleher reported, "...
Unfortunately, the copies are not very legible and I may have misinterpreted
what was reported. However, there is strong evidence from the drill logs that
relatively permeable material can be encountered and the water in the
material is under a hydraulic head" /L5/. A copy of the groundwater summary
by Kelleher is listed in Table 7.
3. Lithplogy
-------
26
FIGURE 7: Meyer and Davis Field Map
-MtOM
ttOM
LEGEND
f Spring
Marshy Area
MID
-------
TABLE 4:
WEST VALLEY DATA ANALYZED BY B.SL
TRI1HJM - (uCl/ml)
Sample Depth
(feet)
4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
Hole 1
(1.08+0 05)E-05
(3.2+0.3) E-06
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
Hole 2
(4 00+0.14)E-05
(7.3+0.2) E-05
(1.02+0.03)E-04
(2.8+0.3) E-06
(2.4+2.0) E-07
Hole 3
(1.44+0.06)E»85
(1.96+0.06)E-04
(2.1+0.3) E-06
(0+3) E-07
(3+2) E-07
Hole 4
(3.7+0.1) E-05
(1.3+0.2) E-06
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
Hole 5
(6.4+0.4) E-06
(5+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
Hole 6
(1.30+0.06)E-05
(1.00+0.05)E-05
(0+2) E-07
(3.6+0.6) E-07
(2.7+0.5) E-08
(8.1+0.4) E-08
Hole 7B
(1.55+0.05)E-04
(1.22+0.04)E-04
(0+3) E-07
(1.9+0.3) E-06
(1.1+0.3) E-06
<3 E-07
(1.2+0.3) E-06
(1.2+0.3) E-06
(7.0+2.9) E-07
Hole 8
(1.35+0.04)E-04
(3.25+0.10)E-04
(3.8+0.3) E-06
(7±2) E-07
(1.0+0.2) E-07
Hole 9
(3.21+0.10)E-03
(1.26+0.04)E-03
(1.05+0.03)E-04
(6+2) E-07
(1.0+0.2) E-07
(1.2+0.05)E-06
(1.7+0.5) E-07
Hole 10
(2. 24+0. 08) E-05
(3.0+0.3) E-06
(3+2) E-07
(0+2) E-07
(5+2) E-07
STROHTIUM - 90 (uCi/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1
(feet)
4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-
29
34-36
39
44-46
49-51
-261 _
-31/
-361
-ftlf - -
Hole 2
Hole 4
2+0.4) E-07 (3.7+0.3) E-07
< 9 E-09
<4 E-09
<9
<4
E-09
E-09
<7
<9
<9
E-09
E-09
E-09
E-09
Hole 6
(2.4+0.8) E-08
(2.42+0.17)E-07
(1.27+0.17)E-07
<2 E-08
<5 E-09
Hole 8
(4+3) E-08
(1.5+0.3) E-07
Hole 9
(2.28+0.14)E-06
(1.8+0.6) E-08
(1.3+1.0) E-08
(6.4+0.3) E-06
<1 E-08
-------
CESIUM - 137 (uCl/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1
(feet)
4-6 (2.140.6) E-07
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
COBALT - 60 (uCl/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1
(feet)
4-6 (1 0+0.6) E-07
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
Hole 2
(1.5+0.5) E-07
<7 E-08
<6 E-08
Hole 2
(1.5+0.5) E-07
<1 E-07
<6 E-08
Hole 3 Hole 4
(8.5+1.2) E-07 <1.1 E-07
(1.3+0.6) E-07
1
< 7 E-08
<7 E-07
<9 E-08
Hole 3 Hole 4
(1.9+0.6) E-07 Cl.4+0.7) E-07
(1.4+0.6) E-07
<8 E-08
<9 E-07
<1 E-07
IABLE 4: (coat.) 2 of 7
Hole 5 Hole 6 Hole 7B Hole 8 Hole 9 Hole 10
Hole 5
<6 E-08
Hole 6
<6 E-08
<7 E-08
(7+5.6) E-08
(4.2+2.9) E-08
Hole 7B
(1.3+0.6) E-07
<8 E-08
(0+7) E-08 (4.6+0.7) E-07
(1.1+0.5) E-07 (8.5+1.0) E-07
(0+5) E-08
Hole 8 Hole 9
(0+7) E-08 (1.0+0.4) E-07
(6+4) E-08 (8+4) E-08
(7+4) E-08
(9.0+0.9) E-06
<6 E-08
Hole 10
(1.42+0.09)E-06
<6 E-08
<2
E-08
49-51
-------
TABLE 4: (cont.) 3 of 7
RUTHENIUM - 106 (uCl/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1
(feet)
4-6 (1 0+0.6) E-06
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
Hole 2
< 1 E-06
<1 E-06
<8 E-07
Hole 3 Hole
<1.4 E-06 <1.4
<8 E-07
<8
<9
<1
4 Hole 5
E-06
E-07
E-06
E-06
ANTIMDIK - 125 (uGl/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1 Hole 2 Hole 3 Hole 4 Hole
(feet)
4-6 <2 E-07 <4 E-07 <3 E-07 <3 E-07
9-11 <3 E-07 <3 E-07
14-16 <4 E-07
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
5 Hole 6 Hole 7B
<3 E-07 (6+3) E-07
<4 E-07
<8 E-08
Hole 6
<8 E-07
Hole 6
<3 E-07
Hole 7B
•O. E-06
<9 E-07
<6 E-07
Hole 7B
(6+3) E-07
<4 E-07
Hole 8 Hole 9 Hole 10
(0+6) E-07 (0+5) E-07 (2.4+0.7) E-06
(0+6) E-07 <5 E-07 <9 E-07
(0+5) E-07
Hole 8 Hole 9 Hole 10
(1.9+0.2) E-06
<5 E-07
-------
TABLE 4: (cont.) 4 of 7
CESIUM - 134 (uCi/gm)
Sample Depth Hole 1
Hole 2
Hole 3
Hole 4
(feet)
4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
(1.4+0.6) E-07
<1 E-07
< 1 E-07
<8 E-08
(1.9+0.9) E-07
(1.9+0.8) E-07
<8 E-08
TRmCTM - (uCl/ml)
Sample Depth
(feet)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
Hole IB
(1.15+0.46)E-05
(3.91+0 12)E-05
(6.8+0.1) E-05
(5.3+0.2) E-05
(4.9+0.3) E-06
Hole 2C
(2.10+0.03)E-05
(4.91+0.15)E-05
(2.79+0.08)E-05
< 2 E-07
Hole 2D
(3.78+0.11)E-05
(9.0+0.3) E-05
(5.11+0.15)E-05
(3+1) E-07
Hole 9B
(4.88+0.15)E-04
(8.3+0.2) E-04
(1.35+0. 03)E-03
(1.87+0.06)E-03
(2.7+0.08)E-05
(5.03+0.15)E-05
(3.3+0.7) E-06
Hole 9C Hole 9D
(2.41+0.05)E-04 (1.82+0.05)E-04
(8.2+0.2) E-04 (1.61+0.05)E-04
(8.1+0.2) E-04 (8.0+0.4) E-06
(1.17+0.04)E-03
(1,73+0.03)E-03 (3+2) E-07
(1.12+0.03)E-04
Hole 7B
<9
E-07
E-08
Hole 8
(1+.5) E-07
E-08
(1.7+0.5) E-07
(1.1+0.3) E-07
(5+4) E-08
Hole 10
(1.65+0.10)E-06
<9 E-08
-------
Sample Depth
STRONTIUM - 90 (uCl/gm)
Hole 2B
Hole 2D
Hole 9B
TABLE 4: (cont.) 5 of 7
Hole 9C Hole 9D
(feet)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
CESIUM
Sample Depth
(feet)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
(8.7+0.7) E-07
(1.65+0.15)E-07
(2.4+0.6) E-08
<1.3 E-08
<1.0 E-08
- 137 (uCi/gn)
Hole 2B
(5.6+0.6) E-06
(5.3+1.3) E-07
<2 E-08
<2 E-08
<7 E-08
(2.9+0.3) E-07
(5.6+0.3) E-06
<8 E-09
Hole 2C
(1.40+0.02)E-06
(1.9+0.2) E-06
<4 E-08
(2.1+0.3) E-07
<8 E-09
(2.3+1.7) E-08
Hole 2D
(7.9+1.2) E-07
<8 E-08
(1.00+0.1DE-06
(2.4+0.2) E-07
(6.3+0.4) E-07
(8.9+0.5) E-07
(1.31+0.08)E-06
<6 E-09
<6 E-09
<8 E-09
Hole 93
(8.7+1.4) E-07
(1.8+0.2) E-06
(1.33+0.14)E-06
(3.8+0.4) E-06
<3 E-08
<6 E-08
<7 E-08
(2.3+0.2) E-07
(1.26+0.09)E-06
(8.5+0.6) E-07
(8.4+0.8) E-07
(2.8+0.3) E-07
(1.3+0.7) E-08
Hole 9C
(1.9+0.2) E-06
(5.1+0.5) E-06
(2.3+0.3) E-07
(2.4+0.3) E-07
(3.6+0.5) E-07
<8 E-08
<3.6 E-07
(9.5+0.6) E-07
(1.2+1.1) E-08
Hole 9D
(2.6+0.3) E-06
(6.5+0.7) E-06
<6~ E-08
-------
TABLE 4: (cont.) 6 of 7
ANTIMOM - 125 (uCi/gm)
Sample Death Hole 2B Hole 2C Hole 2D Hole 9B Hole 9C Hole 9D
(feet)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
CESIUM
Sample Depth
( f eec)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
(3. 5+0. 5)
<5
<7
C6
<4
E-06 (4.9+0.5) E-06
E-07 <5 E-07
E-08 <9 E-08
E-08
E-07
<3 E-07 <2
<3 E-07 <3
<1
<1 E-07 O
<8
<5
<2
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-08
E-07
E-07
<2
(5+3)
<1
<3
<7
<2
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-08
E-07
<2 E-07
<3 E-07
<4 E-07
- 134 (uCi/gm)
Hole
(5.5+0.2)
<1.3
(9+4)
<2
(1.1+0.8)
23 Hole 2C
E-07 (1.9+1.2) E-07
E-07 (2.1+1.2) E-07
E-08 <4 E-08
E-08
E-07
Hole 2D Hole <
<6 E-08 <1.0
<1.0 E-07 (4.4+1.3)
(2.3+0.4)
<5 E-07 (3.5+1.3)
<3
<8
(1.1+1.0)
Hi
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-07
E-08
E-08
E-07
Hole
<7
(5.3+1.5)
C3
(4.1+1.4)
(1.5+0.4)
<9
9C
E-08
E-07
E-08
E-08
E-07
E-08
Hole 9D
(3.2+1.0) E-07
(4.5+1.5) E-07
(1.3+1.1) E-07
-------
Sample Depth
COBALT - 60 (uCi/gm)
TABLE 4: (cont.) 7 of 7
Hole 2B
Hole 2C
Hole 2D
Hole 9D
(feet)
0-2 (2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
RUTHENIUM
Saogile Depth
(feet)
0-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-14
14-16
16-18
18-20
.4+1.0)
<9
(4+2)
<2
<8
- 106
Hole
<2
<1.5
<4
<4
<1.0
E-07 (1.0+0.8) E-07
E-08 <1.0 E-07
E-08 <3 E-08
E-08
E-08
(uCi/gm)
2B Hole 2C
E-06 <1.0 E-06
E-06 <1. 4 E-06
E-07 <3 E-08
E-07
E-06
<5 E-08 <7
(4.5+1.2) E-07 <1.0
(4.7+1.2)
<3 E-08 <9
<2
<7
<8
Hole 2D Hole !
<7 E-07 <1.0
<1.5 E-06 <1.5
<3
<3 E-07 <1.5
<5
-------
TABLE 5: WEST VALLBK DATA ANALYZED BY NFS
TRITIUM - (uCi/ml)
Sample Depth
(feet)
4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
<2.6 E-06
4.5
1.1
2.6
<2.6
E-05
E-04
E-06
E-06
Hole 3
2.6 E-05
1.5 E-05
<1.8 E-06
Hole 4
4.6 E-05
3.1 E-05
<1.8 E-06
Hole 5
<2.6 E-06
Hole 6
<2.6 E-06
4.5
<2.6
3.8
<2.6
E-05
E-06
E-05
E-06
Hole 8
3.9 E-04
2.6 E-05
<2.6 E-06
Hole 9
2.6
2.8
2.6
<2.6
E-05
E-03
E-05
E-06
Hole 10
5.9 E-05
4.4 E-05
<2.6 E-06
TRITIUM - (uCi/ml)
Sample Depth
(feet)
4
6
8
10
12
14
15.5
16
18
Hole
1.0
2.2
5.7
5.6
4.4
3.0
9.9
2B
E-03
E-03
E-05
E-05
E-05
E-05
E-06
Hole
8.9
9.2
1.5
2.6
<2.6
>
2C
E-05
E-05
E-05
E-06
E-06
Hole
2.1
1.3
1.4
3.9
<3.0
1.9
4.6
2D
E-04
E-04
E-05
E-06
E-06
E-05
E-06
Hole
1.2
3.8
4.8
<2.6
n
9B
E-03
E-03
E-05
E-06
Hole
2.3
7.6
4.6
<2.6
1.1
1.9
4.0
9£
E-03
E-03
E-03
E-06
E-04
E-05
E-06
Hole 9D
<2.6 E-06
TRITIUM -
Sample Depth
(feet)
10
12
14
16
18
18.8
20
22
23
24
26
26.25
26.50
26.75
27
30
32
34
46
(uCi/t
Hole
8.3
1.4
8.0
3.2
1.7
2.5
5.3
5.6
5.4
8.5
8.5
8.2
7.9
8.6
il)
12
E-04
E-03
E-03
E-02
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
E-01
Hole 13
3.9
3.1
9.7
<2.6
3.4
1.2
3.0
<2.6
<2.6
E-06
E-04
6.1 E-04
<2.6 E-06
1.2 E-04
<3.0 E-06
E-06
E-06
E-05
E-05
E-06
E-06
E-06
-------
35
-TTTT - 1
10
15
20
25 _
30
35
40
^
O.
01
Q
45
50
55
60
J I I I MHIJ ( I I Ullll I I I Illlll I I I I llll| I I I II
10'7 10'6 10-5
10-3 iQ-2
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
FIGURE 8. HOLE 1
-------
36
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
01
£ 40
.c
DL
OJ
Q
45
50
5
6
U -1 1 1 1 1 i mi i I i i milk li ill HIT] r i i i inr
s> ^~ * ¥ '
i?lj *
1 1
h^H I
- ^ +
1
1
I i
T
1
" 1
1
-
. Hole 2
© Hole 2B
A Hole 2C
13 Hole 2D
- l i
-
fc
I i I niij i i i mill i 1 i null . , ,,,,„
1 — TTTTm
-
-
-
.
-
-
-
-
-
1 1 1 II III
10-7
10'6 1Q-5 iQ-4
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
10-3
10
FIGURE 9. HOLES 2,2B,2C,2D
-------
37
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
O-
-------
38
10
15
20
25
30
4C
,
-p
CL
41
I I
10
,-7
10'
r6
10
r5
1C'4
I I I Mll| i I i mn
10-3 10-2
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
FIGURE 11. HOLE 4
-------
39
i i null 1 i ' Miiij r-T-rrnrr
10
15
20
25
30
35
0)
40
5
D-
O>
O
45
50
. i
| in unit i i i mill i I i null i i 11 iin| i i m n
lO"7 TO'6
10
,-5
10-3 10-2
Trltiun Concentration (uCi/ml)
FIGURE 12. HOLE 5
-------
40
j 1 I I MIH| 1 ii i mi] INI I Ml] 1 i i i mil r I rrr
10
15
20
25
30
35
-<-
4C
-P
0-
-------
1 1
10
15
20
25
30
35
4°
Q.
4)
Q
45
50
< \
-H
t
41
ITT]
ID
'7
ID'6 iQ-5 1(r4
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
I I III!) I t I
10-3 10-2
FIGURE 14. HOLE 7B
-------
42
10
15
20
25
30
35
4J
OJ
D.
CD
Q
40
f—i i I i ini| I I M nii| 1 i | ni|[[ 1 i i 11 iiij—i i i rnrr
I I
I IN mill i 11 mill i l i null tin nn| . \ m
10-7
ID'6 10-5 10-4
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
10-3
10'
FIGURE 15. HOLE 8
-------
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
CL
01
Q
45
50
55
60
1—j 1 I I III IT] I I I M
i I
I- ' '
• Hole 9
0 Hole 9B
A Hole 9C
a Hole 9D
43
—i i i iTirn
J I I I I'llll I I ' Illlll I I I Milll I i ti nn| i i mm
10'7
10-6 1Q-5 10-4
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
10-3
10-2
FIGURE 16. HOLES 9,9B,9C,9D
-------
44
I I
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
CL
O)
O
ID'7
\
i 11 inn 1 i 11 mil—i M irmj
| ill iniil i i i mill i i i null fin HII|
10
r6
10-
1(T4
10-3
10
-2
Tritium Concentration (uCi/ml)
FIGURE 17. HOLE 10
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45
TABLE 6 [14]
Depth
Hole # (Feet) Soil Description
1 4-6 Brown silt clay few small stones
9-11 Brownish grey silt clay few small stones
14-16 Grey silt clay small amount fine stones
19-21 Grey clay silt very few stones
24-26 Grey clay silt few small stones
29-31 Grey clay some silt very few small stones
34-36 Grey clay silt few stones
39-41 Grey clay silt few stones
44-46 Grey clay silt few stones
49-51 Grey clay silt few small stones
2 4-6 Brown silt clay few small stones
9-11 Brown silt clay few small stones
14-16 Grey brown silt clay few small to medium
stones
19-21 Dark grey clay with silt very few small
stones
24-26 Grey Clay silt few stones
29-31 Grey clay silt few stones
34-36 Grey clay silt few stones
39-41 Grey clay silt few stones
44-46 Moist grey clay silt few stones
49-51 Grey clay silt very few stones
3 4-6 Brownish grey silt clay fine gravel
9-11 Brownish grey silt clay fine gravel
14-16 Moist grey clay fine embedded gravel
19-21 Grey silt clay few small stones
24-26 Grey silt clay few small stones (moist)
29-31 Grey silt clay fine gravel very moist
34-36 Grey silt clay few small stones
39-41 Grey silt clay gravel with silt lenses
44-46 Grey silt clay few small stones
49-51 Grey silt clay few small stones
4 4-6 Brownish grey silty fine gravel clay
9-11 Brown silt clay few small stones
14-16 Brown silt some clay some small stones
19-21 Grey silt clay few small stones
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46
Continued TABLE 6 [14]
Depth
Hole # (feet) Soil Description
4 24-26 Grey silt clay few small stones (moist)
29-31 Grey moist silty clay gravel (some water)
34-36 Grey silty clay few small stones
39-41 Grey silty clay few small stones
44-46 Grey silty clay sand layer 45.5 ft.
49-51 Grey silty clay few small stones
6 4-6 Brown silt clay few small stones
9-11 Brown silt clay few small stones
14-16 Grey silt clay few small stones (moist)
19-21 Grey clay silt few small stones
24-26 Grey clay silt few small stones (moist)
29-31 Grey silt clay fine gravel
31-33 Grey silt clay fine gravel
33-35 Grey silt clay fine gravel
39-41 Grey clay silt few fine stones
44-46 Grey silt clay few small stones
49-51 Grey clay silt few small stones
7B 4-6 Brown silt clay few small stones
9-11 Brown silt clay few small stones
14-16 Grey silt clay few small stones
19-21 Grey silt clay few small stones (moist)
34-36 Grey clay silt few small stones (moist)
39-41 Grey clay silt few small stones (moist)
44-46 Moist grey clay silt few small stones
49-51 Moist grey clay silt few small stones
8 4-6 Brown silt clay few small stones
9-11 Brown silt clay few small stones
14-16 Greyish brown silt clay few small stones
19-21 Grey silt clay few small stones
24-26 Grey silt clay few small stones
29-31 Grey clay silt few small stones
34-36 Grey clay silt few small stones
39-41 Grey clay silt few small stones
44-46 Grey clay silt few small stones
49-51 Grey clay silt few small stones
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47
Conti nued
TABLE 6 [14]
Depth
Hole # (Feet)
9A 4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
31-33
33-35
39-41
44-46
49-51
10 4-6
9-11
14-16
19-21
24-26
29-31
34-36
39-41
44-46
49-51
Soil Description
Brown silt clay fine stones
Brown silt clay fine stones (moist)
Grey silt clay fine stones (moist)1
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey silt clay few fine stones (moist)
Moist grey clay silt fine gravel
Moist grey clay silt fine gravel
Brown silt clay few fine stones
Brown silt clay few fine stones
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay with silt gravel (moist)
Grey silty gravel some clay (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay silt few fine stones (moist)
Grey clay with silt fine gravel (moist)
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48
Fill
The fill in the burial area at West Valley is a man-made mixture of soil,
weathered till, and unweathered till resulting from excavation and general
land surface preparation operations in the burial trench area. The fill
observed was generally slate gray in color, and appeared to have a high clay
and silt content with very little sand or gravel. Therefore, it is believed that
the fill is composed primarily of unweathered till excavated from the
trenches. Fill is used for leveling the working areas prior to trenching
operations and as capping material for the trenches after they are filled with
waste. The fill was also used to build up and partially level the north end of
the site in preparation for installation of trenches 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Figure 24) in
a major reshaping of the natural contours in this area.
No measurements of the porosity, permeability, or degree of
compactness of the fill are available. A recent study /16/ measured the
horizontal permeability of surficial gravelly deposits at the reprocessing plant
site (but not at the burial area - See Appendix B) to be between 0.02 to 0.14
ft/day.
Soil
The original top soil in the vicinity of the burial trenches is largely
missing as a result of trenching and burial operations. Where present, the soil
is believed to be a product of weathering and therefore similar in composition
to the underlying clay and silt till. Physical and hydraulic properties
measurements of the soil were not made. As previously noted, the top soil
was scraped off the south portion of the site. The history of the top soil
disposition in the north portion of the site is not clear but appears to have
been scraped off in some areas and covered with fill in other areas.
Weathered Till
The weathered till at the burial site is part of and has the same basic
lithologic composition as the underlying unweathered till. However, it has
been altered from a plastic grey till to a brown, tough or very firm, silty clay
containing small bits of gravel or rock. Based on observations from open
trenches and from core holes, the weathered till in undisturbed areas may
extend from near land surface to a depth of 10 to 12 feet.
Intense irregular jointing can be seen both in the sidewalls of the open
trenches (Figure 18) and in surface outcrops (Figure 19) at the south end of the
burial site. The weathered till is noticeably less plastic than the unweathered
till. Iron staining along the surfaces of the joints indicates that oxygen-
bearing water (possibly precipitation) has circulated along these fractures.
While the amount and length of time water has been circulating is unknown,
the brownish color of the till itself suggests that extensive oxidation and
alteration by weathering is the major source of the joints in the till.
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49
TABLE 7 [15]
Data from original drill logs - all holes 5T deep
#1 - No water encountered.
#2 - No water in hole.
#3 - Groundwater at 13'
Groundwater at 25'
No groundwater as completion.
#4 - Groundwater at 29'
No water at completion.
#5 - No water at completion.
#6 - No water at completion.
#7B- No water in sample at 14'-16'
Groundwater at 14.3' after 19'-21 sample
Groundwater at 31.7' at completion.
#8 - No qroundwater encountered.
#9 - No water encountered.
#10- No water encountered.
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50
Physical properties measurements for the weathered till at West Valley
have not yet been published. However, Williams and Farvolden /IT/ noted
that hydraulic tests of tills in northern Illinois indicated that permeability
along joints in weathered tills was considerably greater than the permeability
of intergranular pore spaces in these tills; water moving through the jointed
tills move preferentially through the joints. Cherry and Grisak /18/ conducted
field hydraulic tests on jointed tills and clays. These tests identified up to
two orders of magnitude greater permeability in jointed tills under in situ
conditions than laboratory measurement of core permeability of the same
tills. In both studies, a major concern was vertical permeability.
Unweathered Till
The unweathered till is a slate to battleship grey, plastic, silty clay with
scattered rock fragments and pebbles. Although the till is relatively uniform
in overall composition, certain zones have higher silt, sand, and gravel
contents. A thin, 2- to 3-inch thick gravel zone was noted in Core Hole 9A.
A 1-foot thick body or lense of very coarse sand was noted in open trench No.
12 and is discussed briefly below.
The overall thickness of the unweathered till is not known. However,
information from drilling and geophysical (seismic) surveys conducted during
earlier investigations /19/ indicate that the till is 150 to 300 feet thick
beneath the burial site. Occasional interbedded sand and sand-and-gravel
lenses and beds have been observed in the silty clay till under much of the
surrounding area. One fairly widespread deeper sand lense or member, which
was identified as an "artesian aquifer,"* appeared to be missing beneath the
burial site. With exception of random lenses of sand and gravel, the
unweathered till has generally uniform composition of very low permeability.
This would tend to prevent significant downward migration of contaminants
and could effectively separate the trenches hydraulically from the underlying
bedrock.
A limited number of physical properties measurements were reported
for core samples from a drill hole and an exposed valley wall /19/. Vertical
permeabilities for these samples ranged between 0..001 to 0..002 gal/day/ft
(3 samples). The applicability of these measurements to the present study is
hard to confirm because no measurements of samples were reported
specifically from the burial site area.
Sand Bodies or Lenses
A wedge-shaped body or lense of dark grey coarse to very coarse sand
with some pebbles was observed in open trench 12 (Figure 20). Average grain
size was estimated to be 1/2 to 2mm (millimeters) in diameter. To the north,
^Although classed as an "aquifer," this lense appears to have very little
storage capacity and limited areal extent, and may be completely enclosed by
the till.
-------
FIGURE 18: IRREGULAR JOINTING IN TRENCH SIDEWALL
-------
50B
FIGURE 19: PHOTOGRAPH OF SURFACE OUTCROP OF WEATHERED TILL AT SOUTH END OF SITE
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51
the sand body thins to a feather edge and dies out. To the east, west, and
south, it is approximately one foot thick with no sign of thinning as it
disappears into the sidewalls and end of the trench, respectively. Burial
operations were suspended pending investigation of the sand lense.
Subsequent soil sampling by NFS indicated this lense was limited in areal
extent and remained shallow.
Physical properties measurements were not available on this or similar
sand lenses. In the absence of such information, estimates are still possible.
Based on the ranges of permeabilities estimated by Todd /20/ for different
types of sediments, coarse to very coarse sand* such as that observed Jn the
open trench could have a permeability ranging from 10 to 10 gal/day/ft .
Bedrock
The Caneadea - Machias Formation, an Upper Devonian Shale of the
Canadaway Group, is the bedrock immediately underlying the silty tills at the
site. It is a thin-bedded, black and grey, moderately hard shale and siltstone
which may attain a thickness of 400 feet or more beneath the burial area. It,
in turn, is underlain by an additional 1,200 or more feet of interbedded shales
of generally low permeability. The shale bedrock was identified as an
artesian aquifer in the NFS Fuel Reprocessing Plant Safety Analysis Report
/19/. The report states: "The direction and rate of movement in this aquifer
are essentially unknown... the rock itself has a very low permeability, possibly
in the same order of magnitude as that indicated for the till. However, the
rock contains many factures that will transmit small but useable quantities of
water to a well. The existence of fractures may effectively increase the
permeability of the aquifer to several gal/day/ft . ...Water probably enters
the bedrock on the tops and upper slopes of the higher hills. Thereafter, the
water moves through the shale along fractures to point of discharge."
Additional information on the bedrock was made available by Chase
/21/. In 1969, the USGS on behalf of the USAEC conducted an experiment to
determine the feasibility of disposing the liquid radioactive wastes by
injection of these wastes as a cement slurry through a deep well under high
pressures into the bedrock beneath the West Valley site. A 1500-foot test
well was drilled three to four thousand feet east-southeast of the disposal
area as part of this experiment. Bedrock was encountered at a depth of
approximately 170 feet. The hole was cored from 178.4 feet to total depth
(1500 feet) with almost complete core recovery. The information from that
core is as follows:
Bedrock was encountered at a depth of approximately 170 feet.
Twenty-four vertical or near vertical fractures were noted in the cores;
of these only five exhibited appreciable permeability or effective porosity.
The remainder was sealed by secondary mineralization or rock flowage.
*0.5 to 2.0mm in diameter
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52
The shale and siltstone strata were nearly flat-lying and there was no
evidence of loca! geologic structure.
Some of the shales tested had permeabilities of 10 to 10 millidarcies
(at 1000 psi water containing 3,000 ppm NaCl). Total porosities were 29-35%
but effective porosities were very small.
Geomorphology and spatial relationships suggest that similar materials
and conditions underlie the burial site.
A zone of decomposed shale and rubble was noted at the contact
between the overlying till and bedrock. Although there was no noticable loss
of drilling fluids while drilling though the tills, circulation was lost and never
recovered after penetrating the weathered contact zone. This further
suggest that an "aquifer" or zone of permeability may exist inthe bedrocks or,
at least, at the till bedrock contact.
-------
C**~
'*r-"-tr
' " *
en
ro
FIGURE 20A: PHOTOGRAPH OF SAND LENSE IN TRENCH 12
-------
SCALE: 1" = 16'
NO VERTICLE EXAGERATION
Core Hole 9, 9a
Tritium Contamination
Soil
Trench No. 12
(Open)
FIGURE 20B: DETAILED EAST-WEST CROSS-SECTION THROUGH SEVERAL TRENCHES AT
SOUTH END OF BURIAL SITE SHOWING WASTE — TRENCH — GEOLOGY — TRITIUM
CONTAMINATION INTERRELATIONSHIPS (BASED ON FIELD OBSERVATIONS AND CORE
HOLES 9 AND 9A.)
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54
V. ANALYSIS
A. Radiochernical Data
" in
There appears to be two major potential sources of tritium detected ir
the core holes around the trenches; vertical migration of surface
contaminc
trenches.
the core holes around the trenches; vertical migration of surface
contamination or lateral migration of tritium contained in the burial
"far ^r\/~*riAC
Surface contamination is possible since drums of low-level radioactive
wastes were often laid on their side in the areas adjacent to the trenches.
Fallout from the stack of the fuel reprocessing plant may have also caused
deposition of tritium on the surface areas adjacent to the trenches.* Studies
that investigate the downward movement of surficially deposited tritium are
discussed in Appendix E as they might apply to West Valley. In this report,
we have viewed surface contamination to decrease as depth increases based
on the discussion contained in Appendix E and as shown in Figure 21a.
Contamination which might migrate laterally through the soil and tills
at West Valley has been simplified to two categories. First, presuming that
the soil is uniformly pervious, the tritium will migrate as a constant front
through the trench. If jointing and fracturing pervade the weathered till to a
sufficient degree, it can be considered an uniformly pervious soil. If one
analyzed a boring of uniformly pervious soil for tritium, one would expect to
find tritium concentration to be a constant over a range of depths as shown in
Figure 21b.
Second, if a small zone such as a fracture or a sand lense is present, the
tritium would migrate preferentially and the boring would have a higher
concentration of tritium at a particular depth, lower concentrations above
and below this depth, as indicated in Figure 21c.
Actual soil analyses do not yield graphs which are so easily interpreted.
When plotted, the analyses for a particular boring may indicate that
contaminants are moving along all three of these pathways. There may be
surface contamination, migration through pervious soil, and migration through
fractures and/or sand lenses. In addition, there is a significant change in
lithology in the 12 to 16 feet depth in all the core holes. At this depth, the
transition from the more permeable jointed weathered till to the less
permeable unweathered till would limit downward migration of the
radionuclides. Movement may predominate along one pathway or may occur
along all three. But one can generalize and note that an increase in
concentration with depth indicates that lateral migration through the soil or
till is at least a feasible pathway unless the maximum water level in the
*It should be noted that the March 1975 seepage incident which caused high
levels of surface contamination in the burial area occurred subsequent to the
drilling study and would not be a source of contamination at that time.
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55
(a) Surface Contamination
(b) Uniform Migration
(c) Localized Migration
15' —
FIGURE 21: PICTORIAL SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CONTAMINATION PATHWAYS.
VERTICAL LINES INDICATE BORING SAMPLES OF NUCLEI CONCENTRATION VS DEPTH.
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56
trench was always below the level of the maximum tritium concentration for
borings adjacent to the trench.
The analysis of the boring data was performed using the hypothetical
data patterns shown in Figure 21a, b, and c as a template for the analysis. In
some cases, both surface and subsurface migration pathways may be present
in some combination. This analysis attempts to determine which pathways
may be operative and, where possible, which pathway appears to be the
predominant one.
There are some potential sources of variability in the tritium
concentration data which may have resulted from surface contamination
being carried to lower depths due to the metal bore used during the drilling.
This possibility has not been resolved satisfactorily for the first ten bore
holes analyzed. Another unresolved question regarding the variability in
tritium concentration versus depth concerns radioactive background from
non-West Valley related activities (namely weapons testing fallout).
Considering the variability of data, it was considered prudent not to
hypottiesize pathways of tritium migration for any concentrations less than 1
x 10" uCi/ml unless supported by hydrogeologic data.
In general, Figure 8 through 17 show that concentrations of tritium in
the first five feet of each boring may increase, decrease, or remain roughly
constant. Concentrations in the first five feet of each boring are most
probably attributable to surface contamination that has been mixed into the
first five feet of material surrounding the trench as a result of burial
operations such as site leveling or trench capping. The sources of surface
contamination are believed to be; (1) fallout from the reprocessing plant
stack, (2) radioactivity leached from contrainers placed adjacent to the
trenches awaiting burial, or (3) radioactivity deposited from the tread or
blade of a bulldozer exiting a partially finished trench.
For each boring the lowest concentration levels of tritium were found in
the unweathered till zone. From this observation it can be said that
subsurface migration occurring laterally through the unweathered till zone
was not observed (it should be noted that no permeable layers such as sand
lenses were encountered either).
In general, levels of tritium decrease rapidly in the weathered till zone
indicating that the downward migration of surface contamination has
occurred. The exceptions to this general tendency occur in holes 2, 2B, 2C,
2D, 3, 7B, 8, 9, 9C. In these holes, the tritium concentration does not
decrease through the weathered till zone and in the case of the 2-series holes,
holes 8, 9, and 9C, the concentration of tritium reaches a maximum at some
point 5 to 15 feet below the ground surface. While the first impression might
be to explain the phenomena for all of these holes by concluding subsurface
migration has occurred, this would probably be incorrect for holes 8, 9, and
9C. In the case of holes 8, 9, 9C, the water levels in the adjacent trenches
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57
(trenches 8, 9, 10, and 11) never came up to the level where contamination was
found, hence this would not be the medium to carry the buried radionuclides
through the weathered till zone by lateral migration. Considering that these
holes are located adjacent to trenches in the south area of the site where
substantial amounts of trench cover work were done subsequent to
completion of these trenches, it is entirely possible that these levels at the 10
and 15 foot depth were caused during burial operations. The addition of
subsequent cover over the area may have simply buried what was once
surficial contamination. Additional support for this hypothesis comes from
the fact that the direction in which these trenches were excavated was such
that it faces the location of the bore holes. This would mean that a bulldozer
tread or blade could have pushed radioactivity at the bottom of a partially
excavated trench out of the trench and onto the adjacent surface area where
it was subsequently covered by between 5 and 15 feet of till. This hypothesis
seems more plausible for holes 8, 9, and 9C than the hypothesis of subsurface
migration through the weathered till zone.
In the case of hole 7B, the water level was high enough in an adjacent
trench (trench 5) to act as a conduit for subsurface transport through the
weathered till. However, the depths of maximum tritium concentration are
above the observed water level and the concentrations are not high when
compared to the actual concentration of the trench water (1-2 x 10" uCi/ml).
If direct subsurface migration were occurring then a much higher tritium
concentration would be expected.
Increases noted in the 2-series holes are the most difficult to explain.
Holes 2, 2B, 2C, and 2D show maximum concentrations below the ground
surface; however, the depth of the maximum decreases with distance from
the trench (i.e.; 2A - maximum at 20 feet, 2B - 15 feet, 2C - 10 feet, 2D - 5
feet). This would indicate one of two tilings: (1) there exists a permeable
layer in the weathered till zone with an upward slope running away from the
trench, or (2) the points of maximum may be coincident with a ramp used by a
bulldozer to excavate the adjacent trench (trench 4). The latter hypothesis
seems more plausible for two reasons. First, the concentration found at hole
2D, the furthest from the trench, was higher than those closer in at holes 2B
and 2C. This would not occur if the concentrations occurred because of a
permeable layer. Second, the concentrations are again far lower than those
observed in the actual trench water samples as mentioned earlier for hole 7B.
From this it would seem reasonable to conclude that elevated levels of
tritium below the ground surface are most probably caused by some
mechanical process involving the burial operation and not by direct migration
through the weathered till zone.
From this analysis the following observations can be made about tritium
movement:
1. Tritium was found to a depth of 15 feet in most of the core holes
adjacent to the trenches.
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58
2. Core data, field observations, and the tritium analyses indicate that
a zone of relatively higher permeability underlies the site from the land
surface to the 10 to 15 foot depth.
3. Several sources of the observed tritium are hypothesized including:
a. downward migration from fallout from the reprocessing plant;
b. downward migration from spillage occurring during burial operations;
c. lateral migration in certain areas;
d. other, as of yet, unidentified sources.
4. The data are not sufficient to indicate which way the tritium
migrated to the core holes at the various depths. It can be surmised,
however, that no significant lateral migration from trenches has occurred to
date.
5. Additional studies (which are underway) are needed to accurately
identify the source of the observed tritium.
The two radioisotopes of most interest would be Sr-90 and Cs-137 due to
their importance in man's food chain. Holes 2 and 7B were analyzed more
extensively and show that the concentrations of Sr-90 and Cs-137 were low,
and it can be stated that there appears to be little if any evidence of
subsurface migration of Sr-90 and Cs-137 at these two locations since these
concentrations are so low. The Sr-90 and Cs-137 concentrations were on the
order of 100 smaller than the tritium concentrations.
Normally, cesium and strontium are attenuated by the soil. Laboratory
tests for ion exchange rates are usually conducted with simple salt solutions.
Due to the variety of chemicals available for leachate formation in the
trenches, it is doubtful that cesium and strontium exist in these simple ionic
forms. If these elements form complexes, it is possible that the effectiveness
of ion exchange will be diminished or by-passed. Also there is competition by
other elements for ion exchange sites. If cesium and strontium are not
preferred elements, then ion exchange is not a reliable inhibitor to migration.
Due to the size of the trenches, the amounts of cesium and strontium
available as leachate are very high. If the concentrations are too high the ion
exchange sites nearest the trenches may be occupied and most of the
radionuclides will migrate away from the trenches. The fact that these
radionuclides were not detected in core samples taken fifteen feet from the
walls of the trenches filled with leachate indicates that there has been little
if any subsurface migration of these isotopes.
B. Hydrogeology
General
Identification of existing aquifers and their ability to transmit
contaminated water from the burial trenches to land surfaces or to use points
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59
is of utmost importance. However, existing aquifers are only part of the
hydrogeologic system of the burial site, and it would be inappropriate to
consider their presence to be the only important part of the system. Of equal
importance is the identification of unsaturated formations, horizons, and
waste and construction materials within the immediate burial area which
have the potential to transmit water when saturated.
Because of their low permeability, the tills and fill at West Valley do
not transmit water in quantities which are useful to man. These materials
also do not transmit water at rates which are readily observable except over
a period of several weeks to several months. Further, the tills and fill may
not become saturated before the beginning of burial operations. Therefore,
the tills and fill often are not considered as significant parts of a
hydrogeologic system of a disposal site. However, a new "micro-
hydrogeologic" system is formed within the local and regional system once
burial operations commence and trenches are excavated, filled with waste,
covered, and begin to fill with water. The "disposal area" hydrogeologic
system then becomes of primary importance when evaluating a disposal site.
Figure 22 schematically illustrates the "micro-hydrogeologic" system of
the burial site area. Neither the original nor the present degree of saturation
of individual units within the burial area are known. It is known, however,
that the trenches in the north (old) area have filled with water and, unless
these are kept dewatered, will impoi ^ a hydraulic stress on the system. The
total effects of. this stress are uncertain because little is known about the
hydraulic properties of the geologic units within the system and the degree to
which they are saturated.
Table 8 presents a comparison ">* preliminary estimates of the relative
properties of hydrogeological units within the system. The estimates were
made from information available at the time of this study. For example, the
larger coefficient of permeability of the weathered till is based on field
hydraulic tests made by others /17, 18/ on jointed weathered tills. This is
corroborated by the fact that tritium has been able to migrate downward and
possible laterally through the weathered till a few feet.
Figure 23 schematically illustrates the relationship of the units within
the burial site "micro-hydrogeologic" system. Little more is known about the
local/regional formations than is known about the burial area formations.,
Therefore, only generalized suppositions can be made about flow relationships
within the burial and local/regional areas. The amount of vertical flow which
may be occurring at the site, whether upward or downward, has not been
determined. As stated above, for the unweathered till zone, it is not believed
to be great in a downward direction relative to the horizontal flow which may
occur at the elevation of the trenches within the hydrogeologic system.
Specific hydraulic tests are needed to determine the rate of downward
movement toward bedrock.
A key point to remember when evaluating the hydrology of the site is
the charge to the hydrologic regime of the burial site brought by the burial
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60
processes and emplacement of wastes in the trenches. First, low
permeability till is excavated from the trenches. Then, the trenches are
filled with waste which has significantly greater permeability and porosity
than the surrounding burial media. After filling, the trenches are then capped
with a fill (formerly soil and till) which has relatively greater permeability
and porosity then the surrounding undisturbed areas. Cap permeability is
further increased by trench cap subsidence when the waste compacts during
its decay.
The above factors allow the trenches to act as gathering areas for
infiltrating precipitation. This then recharges the surrounding undisturbed
burial media. Experience at other landfill operations in glacial tills tends to
confirm this hypothesis. Hugh et al. /22/ found that as much as fifty percent
of all precipitation falling on the trenches may infiltrate through the cap.
Based on field evidence that much of the surface of the burial site is a
regolith resulting from the onsite weathering of the glacial till, certain more
permeable component layers of the groundwater flow system are believed to
be widely and uniformly distributed. Highly permeable sand lense(s) have
been positively identified in the trench area. Although these are potential
paths for significant recharge and discharge within the trench area, their
areal distribution is not believed to be extensive. Figures k and 24 present an
interpretation of the geologic frameworks at the north and south areas of the
burial site. They depict (1) the original geologic and topographic conditions,
(2) conditions after grading preparation for burial operations, and (3) the site
today after burial operations. This interpretation is based on data from the
core holes, topographic maps, and field observations.
The geologic framework and the mechanism for infiltration and
recharge of the potential groundwater system (sand lense) appear to exist.
Some discharge has also occurred. Some trenches have filled partially or
completely with water, and overflow and seepage have occurred.
The groundwater flow system at West Valley appears to include a
multimedia multiple layer geologic framework. Table 8 presents estimated
coefficients of permeability for each component of the system. A range of
potential travel distances for contaminants from the trenches to discharge
points are also given. Travel time of contamination along each component of
the system from the trenches to the nearest discharge point can be calculated
by a number of simple formulae. However, almost all of the data used in
these calculations are estimates and the resulting answers might not be
meaningful. It is known, however, that discharge through the cap occurs
almost instantaneously when the trenches fill with water. If there are sand
lenses connecting the trenches with the land surface, then discharge of
contamination could occur within several years. Likewise, movement of
contaminants through the weathered till could occur at a rate faster than
anticipated. Detailed field hydrogeologic investigations are needed to
establish what is the real potential for movement of water through the burial
area.
-------
FEET ABOVE
SEA LEVEL
1400
1350
1300H
1250H
1200
1150
1 1 00
"MICRO-HYDROLOGIC" SYSTEM
OF BURIAL AREA
(SEE FIGURE 23 FOR DETAILS)
UNWEATHERED TILL
(VERY LOW PERMEABILITY)
BUTTERMILK CREEK
POSSIBLE SMALL
BJJT UNCONFIRMED
DOWNWARD DIS-
CHARGE FROM
BURIAL SITE
CANEADEA-MACHIAS FORMATION
(SHALE—VERY LOW PERMEABILITY)
1-1400
-1350
-1300
-1250
-"200
-1150
1100
FIGURE 22: "MICRO-HYDROGEOLOGIC" SYSTEM
-------
62
TABLE 8
Component
Cap
Fill
Soil
Weathered Till
UnWeathered Till
Sand Lense
Waste
Estimated Coefficient of
Permeabilitv (god/ft2)
(Average)
.002 - .1
(very large when ruptured)
.002 -..Ol^1)
.002 - .01 p)
.01 - .05(2)
.001 - .OOE
10 - 104
10 - 106
Estimated Travel
distance from trench
to discharge point (ft)
3 - 8
50
50
50 - 125
50 - 125
50 - 125
(possible but not esta-
blished)
-0-
(1) Estimations by Meyer based on observations and assuming that cap,
fill and soil are twice as oermeable as the unweathered till.
(2) Based on information from reference 18 which states that the Der-
meability of the weathered till maybe one order of magnitude
greater than the unweathered till.
(3) [19]
(4) [20]
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RECHARGE FROM PRECIPITATION
(MAJOR RECHARGE)
(DOWNWARD MOVEMENT POSSIBLE BUT
BELIEVED TO BE SMALL)
FIGURE 23: RELATIONSHIP OF BURIAL SITE "MICROMHYDROQEOLOCaC'1 SYSTEM
-------
64
The following points seem clear based on the limited information
available.
Overflow of trench water through the cap is the most direct flow path
for contamination to leave the trenches under present conditions. The
travel distance may be as little as three feet and the travel time is
almost instantaneous after the trench fills with water. Most of the
water collecting in the trenches appears to result from infiltrating
precipitation. Therefore, keeping water out of the trenches is of
utmost importance.
The natural processes of freezing and thawing, wetting and drying, and
erosion attack the integrity of the trench cap from without.
Compaction of the wastes undermines the cap from within.
The weathered till, fill, and soil, because of their relatively greater
permeability, offer potential paths for the lateral migration of
contaminants through the shallow subsurface. Travel distances via
these paths may be as little as 50 feet and the travel time may be
shorter than the anticipated hazardous life of the wastes. The relative
importance of these paths are not known but appear to be less
important than direct overflow and more important than downward
migration to the deeper sand lense aquifer or the contact rubble zone.
The extent and location of sand lenses should be fully investigated.
Water-level Measurements
Measurements of water levels in the trench sumps suggest that, for the
present, the north and south areas of the burial site are behaving differently
hydrologically. Water has collected in the north trenches to the point of
overflow. Little water has collected in the south trenches. A comparison of
trench water level rises (Figure 25) illustrates the difference in behavior of
the northern and southern trenches. The thicker capping techniques used in
the south may be preventing precipitation from infiltrating into the trenches.
The observation that little water has accumulated in the new trenches with
improved thicker caps is encouraging. As a result, there may not be a long-
term problem with water accumulating in the trenches with accompanying
overflow of contaminated water.
The lack of water accumulating in the south trenches may also be
attributed to several other realistic hydrogeologic situations. Two examples
follow.
A sand lense or lenses such as observed in trench 12 (Figure 20a) may
act as a drain system for the new trenches. Water may be infiltrating
into the trenches but is being drained from the trenches at almost the
rate it is infiltrating. This is not probable, however.
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65
A. ORIGINAL GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS
B.
UNWEATHERED
TILL
SITE AFTER GRADIINo AND PREPARATION FOR BURIAL
OPERATIONS
LOCATION OF
END OF TRENCH
IS UNCERTAIN
UNWEATHERED
TILL
C. SITE AFTER BURIAL OPERATIONS COMPLETED
FIGURE 24: NORTH-SOUTH CROSS-SECTION OF NORTH END OF COMMERCIAL
"LOW-LEVEL" RADIOACTIVE WASTE BURIAL GROUNDS AT NFS (WEST
VALLEY, N.Y.). THE CROSS-SECTIONS INTERPRET THE GEOLOGY OF THE
NORTH END OF THE BURIAL GROUNDS A) IN ITS ORIGINAL STATE, B) AFTER
PREPARATION FOR BURIAL OPERATIONS AND C) AFTER BURIAL OPERATIONS
COMPLETED. THIS INTERPRETATION IS BASED ON DATA FROM CORE HOLES,
TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS AND FIELD OBSERVATIONS. (NOT DRAWN TO SCALE.)
-------
66
The trenches are not "ripe"*. There can be little doubt that the
increased thickness (greater than eight feet) and the practice of
surcharging the caps of the adjacent completed trenches with soil from
the working trench has reduced the amount of infiltration.
Nevertheless, some infiltration can be expected to occur. With
continued time (and infiltration) the wastes will become saturated, will
compact, and the integrity of the trench cap may be disrupted at a later
date resulting in the trenches filling with water.
Present information is limited to observations of water levels in trench
sumps, knowledge of the approximate thickness of the trench caps, and
experience at other landfills. This information is not adequate to evaluate
how the hydrogeologic system in the south trench area is really operating.
Specific research to determine the actual flux of water through the caps into
the trenches seems essential before the long-term effectiveness of the
improved capping techniques, and, therefore, the long-term integrity of the
south area can be assured.
Future Developments
Until the actual cause(s) can be determined for the north area of the
site behaving differently than the south, it is prudent to present a
conservative (pessimistic) estimate of the potential long-term hydrogeology
of the site under current knowledge of the hydrogeology and operational
procedures at the site. Three possibilities are examined. IT SHOULD BE
CLEARLY NOTED THAT NEW YORK STATE IS COGNIZANT OF THE
CONDITIONS AT THE SITE AND IS COMMITTED TO A PROGRAM TO
MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THAT SITE FROM ANY AVOIDABLE
HEALTH RISK. (See Chapter VI1). THE THREE POSSIBLE CONDITIONS
THAT FOLLOW ARE PRESENTED TO SHOW WHAT COULD OCCUR IF
NECESSARY REMEDIAL ACTIONS WERE NOT IMPLEMENTED.
Condition I (No trench pumping; no cap maintenance)
a. The trenches in the north will continue to fill with water, to
overflow, and to discharge contamination at land surface.
b. Precipitation will slowly infiltrate into the trenches in the south, the
wastes will compact, the caps will be damaged, infiltration will increase, the
trenches will " ripen" and fill with water, and overflow will begin.
c. There will be an increased general discharge of contamination from
the entire burial site which will be proportional to the total number of
trenches and the amount and availability of radionuclides therein.
d. In addition to overflow, there will be the slower subsurface
movement of contaminants through till, fill, and possible sand lenses. In the
near-term, this release of contamination is believed to be significantly less
important than overflow. The long-term consequences are not known.
e. Erosion will damage the trench caps allowing infiltration and
possibly exposing the waste if allowed to continue unchecked. Contaminants
brought to the land surface by the various hydrogeologic paths will be tied up
*A "ripe" trench is defined as one in which the wastes have become
completely saturated and are compacting.
-------
feet
above
sea
level
1385 -
1380 .
1375 -
1370 -
1365 -
1360 -'
1355-
FIGURE $51
Graoh of Water Levels in Burial Trenches with Time
at WNYNSC, West Valley, N.Y. *
Trench 2
O—O
Pumping-
Trench 3
Trench 4
s'
Trench 5
X
Trench Well 10A
IK-
Trench 11
1/66
1/67
1/68
1/69
1/70
1/71
1/72
1/73
1/74
1/75
1/76
*Based on a graoh by E.J. Michael, 10/10/74, NYSDEC and on data from Ref. 6 [Extracted from NYSERDA/Dames&
Moore Study, 1976]
-------
68
in the soils locally and will runoff in surface waters in solution or as
suspended particles.
f. Contaminants in the soils and surface waters will then be transported
along the hydrogeological and ecological pathways to man,
Condition II (Trench pumping; no cap maintenance)
a. The trenches in the north area will continue to fill with water but
overflow will be prevented by pumping (dewatering) operations.
b. The radioactivity will be removed from the trenches by pumping,
transferred to the liquid waste treatment facility, and the treated liquid with
residual activity (primarily tritium) will be discharged to local streams.
c. The trenches in the south area will "ripen" and slowly fill with water.
The pumping and decontamination of water from these trenches will also
become increasingly necessary proportional to the number of trenches
involved.
d. The subsurface movement of contamination from the trenches will
continue at a slow and as yet underternnined rate, unless the trenches are
completely dewatered rather than water levels being pumped down on a
maintenance basis. The subsurface movement of contaminants will become
of greater but as yet undetermined importance. Conditions similar to I-e and
f will also pertain here.
Condition III (trench pumping; cap maintenance)
a. If the trenches are dewatered and waterproof caps are emplaced,
water will not enter the trenches and the transport of contamination will be
eliminated with two exceptions.
(1) If there is local ground water in the trench area, such as from a sand
lense, water may continue to enter the trenches and continued pumping will
be required. Whether local ground water exists is presently unknown.
(2) Erosion has been active at the site (see Figure 26) and could threaten the
integrity of the trench caps and/or denude the wastes. Once the cap is
breached, water can enter and fill the trenches, and pumping will again
become necessary.
b. The surface movement of contamination from the trenches will
continue at a slow and as yet undetermined rate. Conditions similar to I-e
and f will also pertain here.
C. Dose Assessment
Several methods of calculating the health effects associated with the
pump down of the north end trenches are possible. One method involving the
use of empirical data would be to scale the population dose estimates due to
fishing Cattaraugus Creek made by Magno et al. /6/. These dose estimates
were made for the reprocessing plant's low-level liquid discharge but can be
applied to the pump down operation since the treatment-and-discharge
process for the pump down operation is effectuated through the same
facilities and pathway as liquid discharges from the reprocessing plant. This
method of estimation seems adequate for obtaining an approximate estimate
of the dose due to trench pump down because the treatment routes are the
same and the fishing-fish ingestion pathway is the critical pathway. The
drinking water pathway is less critical since there are no drinking water
-------
FIGURE 26: PHOTOGRAPH OF SITE EROSION
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69
supplies on Cattaraugus Creek below the NFS discharge point.
For conservatism assume that the 1971 ingestion dose to bone from
strontium-90 was due totally to the discharge of strontium-90 in 1971. This is
conservative since strontium-90 is radiologically long-lived and discharges in
1969 and 1970 which were higher than that in 1971 (10, 14, and 7 curies
respectively) undoubtedly had an effect on 1971 ingestion doses.
Based on grab samples taken of water pumped from trench 5, a
concentration of 1.49 + 0.09 x 10 uCi/ml was measured. A total of 8.3 x
10 liters was pumped from the trenches. This indicates that 0.12 curie of
strontium-90 was pumped from the trenches. Using extremely conservative
assumptions such as no treatment but direct discharge into Buttermilk Creek,
it can be seen that by using Magno's estimates, the dose to the maximum
individual would be 0.12 mrem. In fact, treatment and dilution are performed,
reducing the level of strontium-90 discharge by approximately a factor of
between 100 and 300, hence the resulting dose would be less than 0.001 mrem
to the maximally exposed individual by way of the fish pathway. Using an
equivalent methodology, doses to other organs from other radionuclides would
be below 0.001 mrem.
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70
VI. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
A, Comparison with Recommendations for Siting of Low-Level Burial
Sites
EPA and USGS have studied potential release mechanisms through
which critical radionuclides buried in low-level burial sites could be
introduced into the hydrosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere /23/. The
potential release mechanisms are; a) transport of dissolved nuclides by
water to wells, gaining streams, or springs; b) transport upward to the soil
zone by capillary flow followed by the concentration of radionuclides in
plants; and c) exposure and overland transport by normal erosion processes
(water and wind), erosion due to floods, or erosion following disruption of
landscapes by earthquakes. A suitable low-level shallow land radioactive
waste burial site should therefore minimize the occurrence of these release
mechanisms for the duration of the hazardous lifetime of the buried material.
Recommendations for the evaluation of the suitability of a site for
burial of low-level nuclear waste have been presented by several investigators
/18, 23, 2^? 25, 26, 27/. One more recent report /18/ categories burial sites
asl~a) intermediate-term sites, suitable for wastes that decay to safe levels
within several decades, for which protection is mainly provided by engineered
structures in which the wastes are buried; and b) long-term sites, suitable for
wastes with longer life, which depend mainly on hydrogeologic conditions for
protection. This report presents hydrogeologic recommendations for both
types of sites* These recommendations were later modified slightly by
investigators working for EPA /23/. Table 9 is a comparison of the
intermediate-term and the long-term recommendations with observations
made at West Valley»
B. Comparison with Hazardous Waste Secure Landfill Recommendations
EPA's Office of Solid Waste Management Programs (OSWMP) has
published a series of general recommendations for selecting and evaluating a
chemical waste landfill site /28/. The development of these
recommendations is discussed in Appendix F. Table 10 represents a
comparison of these chemical landfill criteria to observations made based on
data collected at the West Valley Site. The Federal government is presently
formulating additional recommendations and guidance for low-level nuclear
burial sites and these will be available in the future. From Tables 9 and 10, it
can be seen that most of the recommendations are in good part met at West
Valley. Further, the recommendations contained in Tables 9 and 10 do not
constitute complete recommendations for a low-level burial site. As these
recommendations indicate, for a complete evaluation of the suitability of the
site, it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of hydrogeological data for
the site so that the flow patterns and the rate of transport of radionuclides in
the regional hydrogeologic system can be predicted. From Table 9 and 10 and
based on the data presented in this report, the radiological data available for
such predictions are insufficent.
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TABLE 9. A COMPARISON OF HOW THE WEST VALLEY DISPOSAL SITE MEETS HYDROGEOLOGIC SITING RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR SHALLOW LAND RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL SITES. [23]
Recommendation
Intermediate-Term Site
(1) The land surface should be devoid of surface
water, except during snowmelt runoff and ex-
ceptional periods of rainfall. In other words
the site should not be located in (flood
plain,)* swamps, bogs, or other types of very
wet (or potentially very wet) terrain.
(2) The burial zone should be separated from frac-
tured bedrock by an interval of geologic de-
posits sufficient to prevent migration of radio-
nuclides into the fractured zone.
Except in unusual circumstances the direction
and rate of ground water flow as well as the
retardation effects are very difficult or im-
possible to predict in ground water regimens
in fractured rocks. This lack of predictability
necessitates that fractured rock be regarded
as a major hazard in terms of subsurface radio-
active waste management. In fact, it is
doubtful if contaminated ground water could be
effectively detected and monitored in some
types of fractured rock.
(3) The predicted rate of radionuclide transport in
the shallow....deposits at the site should be
slow enough to provide many years or decades
of delay time before radionuclides would be able
to reach public waterways or any other area
which might be considered hazardous in the
biosphere. In other words considerable time
would be available for detection of contamina-
tion and for application of remedial measures
if necessary.
Conditions at West Valley
(1) Surface streams and swampy areas are not found
directly within the disposal trench area. How-
ever, these do occur within several tens of
meters of the disposal trenches.
(2) The burial medium is separated from the under-
lying fractured bedrock by tens of meters of
unweathered till with very low permeability.
(3) Radionuclide transport from the trenches was
observed overflowing through the caps, a dis-
tance of 2 or 3 meters, within approximately
10 years in the northern area. Other less di-
rect but possible near surface pathways exist.
These include migration through the weathered
till which nay be measured in several tens of
meters to hundred meters. Migration along sand
lenses may also be possible.
Comments/Evaluation
(1) Basically meets this recommendation. Water
from the streams and marshy areas adjacent
to the trench area does not threaten to en-
ter the trenches and mobilize the wastes.
However, the streams may act as transport-
ing agents once contaminants are released
from the trenches.
(2) Meets this recommendation. The downward
migration of contaminants from the trenches
to low-permeability shales and the more
permeable contact rubble zone between the
till and the shales is not believed to be a
significant hazard.
(3) Fails to meet this recommendation in the
north disposal area because movement through
the shallow deposits has been by-passed by
direct overflow through the trench. In-
sufficient information is available to deter-
mine whether site meets this recommendation
as written. On a practical basis, radionu-
clides have moved rapidly from the trenches
to the biosphere via the direct overflow
through the trench cap whereas radionuclides
appear to be moving relatively slowly
^'Additions to the quote indicated by ( ) , omissions by
-------
(4) The site should have sufficient depth to water
table to permit all burial operations to occur
above the water table, or as an alternative
the site should be suitable for producing an
adequate water table depth by flow system mani-
pulation.
(5) The site should be well suited for effective
monitoring and for containment by flow-system
manipulation schemes.
(4) The depth to water is not known. It is believed
to be below the bottons of the trenches in the
south. There was no observed entry of water in-
to the trenches during burial operations in the
north. However, there are indications that the
water table may intersect the trenches because
of ground water mounding around the trenches or
a saturated sand lense intersecting the trenches
in the north end.
(5) The site appears to be well suited for monitor-
ing of surficial and near surface migration. Al-
though estimated to be small, the potential for
subsurface migration is not known.
through the ground although the actual a-
mount of movement is not known. The im-
portant point is that direct overflow have
by-passed the retention capabilities of the
hydrogeologic system.
(4) Meets this recommendation under present con-
ditions if flow system manipulation (pumping)
is used. The south burial presently meets
this recommendation without flow system mant
pulation. The north area may have original-
ly met this recommendation without pumping
before burial operations began but the in-
filtration of precipitation into the burial
trenches appears to have altered the water
table locally in the north. The main
source of water problems appears to be the
infiltration of precipitation. Stopping
this infiltration appears to be the water
control measure needed most.
(5) Appears to meet the recommendation concern-
ing effective subsurface monitoring. Sur-
face and near surface monitoring are com-
plicated by extraneous radioactivity from
the adjacent fuel reprocessing plant and
from operational spills.
Long-Term Site
(1) a)The land should be generally devoid of surface
water and b)be relatively stable geomorphically.
In other words erosion and weathering should not
be proceeding at a rate which could significantly
affect the position and character of the land
surface during the next few hundred years.
(1) a)Refer to (1) above. b)Erosion of the slopes
at the north end of the site is actively occur-
ring.
(1) a)See (1) above. b)The till is not geo-
morphically stable and erosion is damaging
the integrity of the slopes and with time
could possibly expose the wastes in the
north trenches. It may well be the most
serious long-term problem at the north end
of the site. Erosion does not appear to be
a problem at the south end of the site.
-------
(2) The subsurface flow pattern in the area must be (2) See (2) and (5) above in regards to subsur-
such that the flow lines from the burial zone
do not lead to areas considered to be particu-
larly undesirable, such as fractured bedrock,
public waterways used by man, aquifers used for
water supply, etc.
(3) The predicted residence time of radionuclides
within an acceptable part of the subsurface
flow system must be of the order of several
hundred years. The hydrogeologic conditions
must be simple enough for reliable residence-
time predictions to be made. (underlining not
in original quote)
(4) The natural water table should be below the
burial zone by at least several meters and the
hydrogeologic setting should be such that large
water table fluctuations are very unlikely.
This condition would provide additional assur-
ance that leaching of radionuclides would not
occur quickly in the event that low-level
wastes are put directly in the ground.
face flow patterns. Of more direct interest
and consequence is the overflow of water from
the trenches. Contamination is discharged at
land surface within a few meters of streams.
(3) Some radionuclides have moved from the trenches
in less than ten years. Their predominant move-
ment to date has been overflow through the
trench cap. Radionuclides have also been de-
tected in the ground 15 to 30 feet from the
trenches. It has not been determined whether
this source results from lateral migration
through the ground from the trenches or from
fallout from the fuel reprocessing plant or
spills during burial operations. No reliable
residence-time predictions are available.
(4) See (4) above. The wastes in some trenches are
leaching because of precipitation infiltrating
into the trenches.
(2) Meets recommendations concerning deeper sub-
surface flow lines. Does not meet recommen-
dations concerning surface and near surface
flow lines. This recommendation does not
clearly apply to the movement of radionuc-
lides through the cap and the shallow sub-
surface under present conditions. The ef-
fect of the waste laden trenches has (1) al-
tered the natural hydrogeologic system of
the site and (2) this system has been by-
passed by overflow and mounding of waters.
(3) Does not meet this recommendation. Although
the predicted residence-time of radionuclids
in the undisturbed subsurface flow system
appears to be acceptable; the effects of em-
placing the trenches and wastes in the sys-
tem, recent overflow of the trenches, and
the potential erosion have not yet been fac-
tored into the residence-time calculation.
(4) The site, in fact, appears to meet the recom-
mendation concerning an adequate depth to
the water table. However, the trench cover
over the north trenches fails to prevent
water from infiltrating, and leaching of the
wastes is occurring.
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TABLE 10.
Recommendations
A COMPARISON OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SITING AND OPERATING A HAZARDOUS WASTE SECURE LANDFILL AND
THE CONDITIONS AT THE WEST VALLEY RITE.
(1) Chemical waste landfills ideally should be lo-
cated in areas of low population density, low
alternative land use value, and low ground water
contamination potential.
(2) All sites should be located away from flood
plains, natural depressions, and excessive
slopes.
(3) All sites should be fenced, or otherwise
guarded to prevent public access.
(4) Wherever possible, sites should be located in
areas of high clay content due to the low per-
meability and beneficial adsorptive properties
of such soils.
Conditions at Best Valley
(1) The site is located in a low population density
area. The State of New York conducted studies
which determined that establishment of a nuclear
park for fuel reprocessing, waste disposal, etc.,
was an appropriate use of the land. Contamina-
tion of a significant ground water supply appears
remote.
(2) There are no flood plains near the disposal
area. There is a low marshy area near the south
end of the trench area; however, it is not be-
lieved that this marshy area threatens the site's
containment. The hillside and berm at the
north end of the site are sufficiently steep
to be undergoing significant erosion.
(3) There is a fence around the disposal site and
a fence around the entire nuclear park. Ac-
cidental entrance into the disposal area is not
possible.
(4) The burial medium is a clayey silty till which
has very low permeability and potentially good
adsorptive properties. However, the upper
eight to fifteen feet of the till is weathered
and highly jointed.
Evaluation/Comments
(1) Meets this recommendation.
(5) All sites should be within a relatively short
distance of existing rail and highway trans-
portation.
(5) A rail line runs within a hundred yards of the
disposal site. All-weather, asphalt roads
serve the West Valley facility.
(2) Fails to meet this recommendation with re-
gards to excessive slopes. Significant
erosion is occurring and could possibly
unearth the wastes if allowed to continue
unchecked.
(3) Meets this recommendation.
(4) Meets this recommendation. However, a seri-
ous question can be raised as to whether
this recommendation is sound. The low per-
meability of the till causes water which has
infiltrated into the northern trenches to
collect as in a bathtub and to overflow.
Further, the low permeability prevents the
water which collects in the trenches from
moving into the burial medium, therefore,
prevents radionuclides in the trench water
from being sorbed by the clayey burial medi-
um. This recommendation is sound if the
trench cover prevents water from infiltra-
ting into the trenches.
(5) Meets this recommendation.
-------
(6) Major waste generation should be nearby. Wastes
transported to the site should not require
transfer during shipment.
(7) All sites should be located an adequate distance
from existing wells that serve as water sup-
plies for human or animal consumption.
(8) Wherever possible, sites should have low rain-
fall and high evaporation rates.
(9) Records should be kept of the location of vari-
ous hazardous waste types within the landfill
to permit future recovery if economics or neces-
sity permit. This will help facilitate one
analysis of causes if undesirable reactions or
other problems develop within the site.
(lO)Detailed site studies and waste characteriza-
tion studies are necessary to estimate the
long-term stability and leachability of the
waste sludges in the specific site selected.
(6) The site is centrally located in the New Eng-
land - Northeastern United States area and is,
of course, adjacent to the reprocessing plant.
(7) There are no wells in the vicinity that serve
as water supplies for human or animal consump-
tion which might be affected by the site.
(8) The site receives more than forty inches of
rain per year and the evaporation rate is not
sufficiently high to prevent the infiltration
of water into the trenches.
(9) Detailed records of the trench and approximate
location within the trench are available for
each shipment of waste.
(lO)Detailed site studies were not available for
the disposal site. Little is known about the
chemical or physical form of the wastes. The
usual information furnished for a shipment
typically consists of volume, the major iso-
tope(s) and its activity, whether the waste
is solid, liquid, or gas, and whether it is
by-product material, special nuclear material,
or source material.
(6) Meets this recommendation if the concept
of regional sites is accepted.
(7) Meets this recommendation.
(8) Fails to meet this recommendation. Al-
though the amount of precipitation falling
at the site is normal for the region, it is
sufficiently high as to cause water control
problems at the site.
(9) Meets the requirement that the location of
the waste be known.
(10)Fails to meet either of these two recommen-
dations. Although adequate when done, ini-
tial site investigation studies conducted
during 1961-1963 are not considered to pro-
vide the details now required for siting a
low-level radwaste disposal site. Post 1963
experience and developments have pointed up
the need for additional site data and char-
acteristics; ongoing studies described in
the text are developing this information.
The need for more information about the typffi
and quantities of wastes which can be dis-
posed in a given site, criteria for the ac-
ceptability of the wastes which can be re-
ceived and the limits for a given site has
also been identified by the IAEA Advisory
Group on Site Selection, Operation, Control,
and Decommissioning.
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(ll)The site should be located or designed to pre-
vent any significant, predictable leaching or
run-off from accidental spills occurring dur-
ing waste delivery.
(12)a)The base of the landfill site should be a
sufficient distance above the high water table
to prevent leachate movement to aquifers.
b)Waste leachability and c)soil attenuation
and d)transmissivity characteristics are im-
portant in determining what is an acceptable
distance. e)Evapotranspiration and ^pre-
cipitation characteristics are also important.
g)The use of liners, encapsulation, detoxifi-
cation, and/or solidification/fixation can be
used in high water or poor soil areas to de-
crease ground water deterioration potential.
(ll)This recommendation is hard to evaluate. The
distance from the trench area to the nearest
streams is only several tens of meters at se-
veral points. Contamination of the nearby
streams from overflow of the trenches, al-
though not a health hazard at this time, has
occurred. This may be analogous to operational
spills.
(12)a)Insufficient information is available from
the original siting investigations to accurate-
ly d-etennine the water levels in the disposal
area. The bottoms of the southern trenches
are believed to be well above the high water
table. However, some evidence suggests that
the water table in the north end of the site
may be shallower than anticipated. b)No in-
formation is available on the leachability of
the wastes. c)No information is available on
the soil attenuation capability of the burial
media. However, routine laboratory-type K^
(exchange capacity) tests were made on samples
of unweathered till similar to but outside of
the disposal area. d)Although not known pre-
cisely, the permeability characteristics of the
burial media in general are estimated to be
very low. Thus, precipitation infiltrating
through the cap collects in the trenches as in
a bathtub, fills the trench, and then overflows
out the top of the trench as the primary route
of escape. e)There is little direct information
on the evapotranspiration at the disposal site.
f)There is information on precipitation. g)No
protective action is taken to decrease the
ground water deterioration potential of the
wastes. The wastes in the trenches containing
water are believed to have become saturated
and it is known that radioactivity has leached
from them.
(ll)May fail to meet this recommendation.
(12)Meets this recommendation in fact. However,
the real problem is the release of radio-
activity to land surfaces by overflow; not
the subsurface migration of radioactivity.
b)Fails to meet this recommendation. P\.adio-
activity is being leached from the wastes.
c)Although laboratory K^ values are avail-
able for samples of till similar to the bur-
ial media, these tests and values in no way
duplicate the combination and chemistry of
the radionuclides in solution in the trench
waters and therefore do not give a true in-
dication of the attenuation by the soil
which can occur. d)The very low transmis-
sivity of the burial media appears to cause
the major movement of water from the trench®
through the cap by overflow. This causes
the ion exchange capability of the burial
media to be largely by-passed. e)Fails to
meet this recommendation. f)Although pre-
cipitation values are generally known, in-
sufficient additional information is avail-
able to calculate the water budget and the
amount of recharge which is occurring at the
site. g)Fails to meet this recommendation
under present conditions. The trench caps
do not prevent the water from infiltrating
into the trench. Packaging and solidifica-
tion of the wastes is primarily for the pro-
tection of the population and workers during
transportation and burial operations. The
wastes are subjected to direct soaking and
leaching whenever water collects in the
trenches.
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(13)A11 sites should be located or designed so (13)There is no surface or standing water connec- (13)May meet this recommendation. Insufficient
that no hydraulic surface or subsurface con- tion with the trenches or the site. There may, information available to evaluate. However,
nection exists with standing or flowing sur- however, be a subsurface water connection to direct infiltration of precipitation through
face water. The use of liners and/or encapsul- the trenches through local sand lenses. the cap furnishes a known and critical hy-
ation can prevent hydraulic connection. draulic connection between water and the
wastes .
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78
C. Conclusions
If the major goals of low-level nuclear waste disposal are containment
and confinement of the waste for the duration of its hazardous lifetime, then
based on hydrogeological and radiochemical data the following conclusions
have been drawn:
1. These goals have not been met based on observations of radioactivity
seeping through trench caps and contamination of areas surroundings the
burial trenches within fourteen years of initial operation.
2. The West Valley site does not totally meet all the recommendations
established to evaluate suitable low-level shallow land radioactive waste
burial sites or chemical waste landfill sites.*
3. Estimates of offsite dose levels appear to be insignificant at this
time.
k. Remedial actions are necessary to control trench water levels and
site erosion.
5. More data are needed to determine if the West Valley site can be
considered a suitable disposal site based on the aforementioned
recommendations.
6. At least three actual or potential major pathways for radionuclide
movement at the site have been identified. These are in order of importance:
surface water transport resulting from the runoff into nearby streams of
contaiminated water seeping through burial trench caps (actual); surface
water transport resulting from discharge of treated trench water into nearby
streams (actual); and subsurface migration of contaminants through
geological formations (potential).
*It should again be emphasized that these recommendations were not
available in the early 1960's when the site was established.
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79
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS & FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
A. Future Studies at West Valley
This report has provided an overview of pertinent work and
investigations conducted at the West Valley site from its inception until the
seepage of radioactivity from trenches k and 5 and the subsequent pump down
in March 1975. Particular emphasis was placed on the lithological boring
study and the field observations.
An attempt has been made to point out areas where more data
pertaining to the site are needed. In general, studies have already been
initiated to obtain data needed to answer remaining questions about this site.
Four major efforts which are in progress at the site are described below.
Hydrogeologic/Hydrochemical Studies
Empirical measurements of the physical and chemical properties (i.e.
porosity, ion exchange, etc.) for the materials making up the burial media and
the underlying geological formations have not been sufficient. Also, a
detailed map of distribution and interrelation of the geology and hydrology
has not been made. Other than the drilling program sponsored by EPA in 197^
and 1975, little had been done to measure the levels of radioactivity in and
around the burial trench area and to correlate such information with
hydrogeological information.
The USGS is currently conducting a detailed five-year field study which
includes the collection of detailed information on the hydrogeological and
hydrochemcial formation. Detailed geologic maps of the burial site and the
area surrounding it will be made as well as measurements of the level of
radioactivity in the trench leachate and in the vicinity of the burial trench
area.
This study is one of five field studies at the commercial radioactive
waste burial sites throughout the United States which the USGS is conducting
to develop an understanding of the processes and principles of shallow land
burial of radioactive wastes.
Environmental Pathways Study
New York State agencies, under the lead of the New York State
Geological Survey, are conducting a detailed four year EPA funded field study
to determine the impact of the burial site on the environment and on man.
The goal of this study is to define the movement of water and contaminants
in sufficient detail in order to develop a working mathematical mass
transport model for the site. From this model, the amount of leakage, if any,
and the potential for future leakage, if any, can be estimated.
This study is the first of a series of EPA funded detailed field studies
aimed at developing a generic empirically based pathways model for
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80
predicting the impact of present and future burial sites on the environment.
Reactor Waste Study
There is a lack of information concerning the amount and types of low-
level wastes produced by nuclear power plants as is evidenced by the data
cited in Appendix D. While wastes from nuclear power plants do not
presently constitute a great percentage of the low-level nuclear waste buried
at West Valley and the other commercial burial sites, they are expected to
make up the majority of all wastes buried in the future, both in volume and in
radioactivity.
More specifically, it is expected that solidified concentrated liquids
(evaporator bottoms) and ion exchange resins will make up the bulk of the
wastes received from reactors. Therefore, EPA has funded a study by
NYSERDA to determine the amount and types of radionuclides present in ion
exchange resins and evaporator "bottoms" (concentrates) from boiling water
reactors and pressurized water reactors. Sample resins and bottoms collected
from four reactors in New York State are being analyzed in this study.
Site Engineering/Water Control Study
NYSERDA is conducting comprehensive site engineering and water
control studies at the burial site. The scope of this study includes:
determining the cause and recommending solutions to the problem of water
accumulation in burial trenches, defining an erosion control program for the
surface area and the edges of the burial area, and designing an improved
onsite subsurface monitoring network for detecting radionuclide movement.
B. Monitoring Programs
NYSDEC is responsible for all ambient environmental radiation
monitoring in New York State. Part of NYSDEC's monitoring program
includes the monitoring regime around the West Valley site. Elevated levels
of radioactivity at the site were originally discovered by this network.
NYSDEC will modify and improve their monitoring program of the burial site
as appropriate on the basis of new information made available from the
studies described in the previous sections. In particular, it is expected that
the hydrogeological/hydrochemical and environmental pathways studies will
identify the best locations for future long-term monitoring stations at West
Valley.
C. General Recommendations for Future Shallow Land Low-Level Burial
The data available from our studies at the West Valley site make it
clear that there are a number of specific areas pertaining to the shallow land
disposal of low-level nuclear wastes that require additional guidance and
criteria development to assure the safety of shallow land disposal technique.
These seven areas include: (1) criteria for locating sites; (2) methods for
evaluating and predicting the impact of sites; (3) burial procedures; (4)
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81
trench capping procedures; (5) types of wastes which may be buried; (6) long
term monitoring; and (7) perpetual care and maintenance. Studies are
currently being conducted by the NYSGS, NYSERDA, USGS, and EPA which
will aid in developing criteria and guides on these points. However, some
preliminary recommendations can be made from the data accumulated by this
study.
In locating and evaluating a potential burial site, a procedure for data
collection similar to that required for nuclear power plant environmental
reports is generally needed.
The environmental assessment program for the site should include the
development of hydrogeologic mass transport and environmental pathways
models which are suggested by previous studies /22, 28/ and are consistent
with empirical measurements.
A set of criteria, guidelines, and/or standards are needed to judge if the
data collected in the environmental report show the site to be acceptable.
After a site has been found acceptable based on a detailed
environmental assessment, a site operation plan should be developed which
includes the exact location of the burial area and a preliminary analysis and
description of the procedures to be used in the actual burial operation.
From this information and the environmental assessment data, a
monitoring program for the proposed site should be established. The program
should provide for sufficient surveillance of all the potential pathways
described in the environmental assessment. Predetermined levels of
radioactivity should be established after reviewing background data that
would serve as indicators of leakage or migration from the site. Protective
and remedial actions should also be predetermined based on these monitoring
levels.
During the operation of a shallow land low-level nuclear waste burial
site, many precautions should be taken to ensure that the operation does not
result in the contamination of the surrounding environment. To accomplish
this, a strict set of burial procedure guides should be established and adhered
to.
Burial procedures should be carefully designed so as to eliminate
contamination of the surface area adjacent to the trenches during burial.
Burial procedures should contain provisions for handling shipments that arrive
damaged or leaking so that the burial of such shipments do not cause site
contamination. This is important because while only a small percentage of
shipments may arrive in damaged condition the concentration these shipments
in one area may lead to a fairly high level of surface contamination. One
method of handling this problem might be to provide supplementary waste
packaging on site. All burial trenches should be clearly marked by
monuments of some form.
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82
The amount and type of radionuclides accepted for burial should be
predetermined. Shipments to the burial site should clearly state the content
and activity of the shipments. Previsions for an onsite check of shipments so
as to determine the accuracy of the shipper's information should be available
and performed on at least a "spot check" basis. A log of the shipment and its
exact burial placement should be kept. Procedures for handling wastes which
are particularly active or hazardous should be predetermined. A survey of
trench walls for existence of anomalies such as sand lenses should be made
following excavation. Photographic documentation of waste stacking in the
trenches should be considered.
In general? a quality assurance program for the burial operation is a
desirable way to assure that the operation utilizes the best possible
techniques and that contamination due to the operation is avoided.
D. Recommendations for the West Valley Site
1. A trench water control program should be established which
eliminates the pump down procedure presently under use.
2. An erosion control program for the burial site should be initiated.
3. The onsite monitoring program should be improved to detect both the
surface and subsurface movement of radioactivity. The monitoring program
should provide for the early detection of such movement so that remedial
actions can be implemented to prevent the moving activity from reaching
man's environment.
ty. The studies in progress should be completed culminating in the
development of hydrogeoiogicai and environmental pathway models which
describe the movement of radioactivity from the burial site and predict the
long term impact of the buried waste on the environment.
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83
REFERENCES
/ I/ "Radioactivity in Air, Milk, and Water for Jan.-Mar., 1975,"
Environmental Radiation Bulletin, New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Albany, New York, November,
1975.
/ 2/ Broughton, J.G., and H.G. Stewart, "Geology and Hydrology of the
Western New York Nuclear Service Center," Annual Meeting
Geological Society of America, New York, November, 1963.
/ 3/ "Environmental Surveillance Report Around Nuclear Fuels Services,
Inc., Ashford, Cattaraugus County, New York (1965-1976)," New York
State Department of Health-Bureau of Radiological Health (NYSBRH)
Albany, New York, July, 1968.
M/ Duckworth, J.P., M.J. Jump, and B.E. Knight, "Low-Level Radioactive
Waste Management Research Project Final Report," Nuclear Fuel
Services, Inc. (NFS), West Valley, New York, September, 1974.
/ 5/ "Site Environmental Studies-Seismo-Tectonics and Addendum," Dames
and Moore, Inc., White Plains, New York, July, 1970, and September
1971.
/ 6/ Magno, P., et al., "Studies of Ingestion Dose Pathways from the Nuclear
Fuel Services Fuel Reprocessing Plant," U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), EPA-520/3-74-001, Washington, D.C., December, 1974.
/ 71 Magno, P., et al., "Liquid Waste Effluents from a Nuclear Fuel
Reprocessing Plant," U.S. Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare-Public Health Service-Bureau of Radiological Health (DHEW),
BRH/NERHL 70-2, November, 1970.
/ 8/ Davis, K., "NFS Reprocessing Plant, West Valley, New York: Geologist's
Trip Report, "Memorandum to T.J. Cashman, NYSDEC, Albany, New
York, April, 1974.
/ 9/ "Annual Report of Evironmental Radiation in New York State-1972,"
NYSDEC, Albany, New York, September, 1973.
/10/ "New York Climatic Summary No. 26, Supplement for 1931 through
1952," U.S. Department of Commerce-Weather Bureau, Washington,
D.C.
/ll/ "Environmental Report NFS' Reprocessing Plant, West Valley, New
York," NFS, Rockville, Maryland, 1973.
/12/ Kelleher, W., Letter to G. Lewis Meyer (EPA-ORP), NYSDEC, Albany,
New York, November, 1972.
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84
/13/ Kelleher, W., and E. Michael, "Low-Level Radioactive Waste Burial Site
Inventory for the West Valley Site, Cattaraugus County, New York,"
NYSDEC, Albany, New York, 1973.
/!*/ "Environmental Report NFS' UF Plant West Valley, New York," NFS,
Rockville Maryland, 197*.
/15/ Kelleher, W., "Draw Down Test-Observation Wells at NFS Burial Site,"
Memorandum to T.J. Cashman, NYSDEC, December, 1974.
/16/ "Interim Status Report," Dames and Moore, Inc., for NYSERDA, White
Plains, New York, October, 1976.
/17/ Williams, R.E., and R.N. Farvolden, "The Influence of Joints on the
Movement of Ground Water Through Glacial Till," Journal of Hydrology
5, Amsterdam, 1967.
/18/ Grisak, G.E., and 3. A. Cherry, "Hydrologic Characteristics and
Response of Fractured Till and Clay Confining a Shallow Aquifer,"
Canadian Journal of Geology_, VoL 12, No, 1, Canada, 1975.
/19/ "Safety Analysis Report, NFS' Reprocessing Plant, West Valley, New
York," NFS, Rockville, Maryland, 1962.
/20/ Todd, O.K., Ground Water Hydrology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New
York, 1959.
/21/ Chase, G., Private cornmuniation to G.L. Meyer, U.S. Geological
Society, Washington, D.C., 1969.
/22/ Hughes., G.M., R.A. Landon, and R.N. Farvolden, "Hydrogeology of Solid
Waste Disposal Sites in Northeastern Illinois," U.S. EPA (SW-12d),
Washington, D.C., 1971.
/23/ Papadopulos, S.S., and I.J. Winograd, "Storage of Low-Level Radioactive
Wastes in the Ground Hydrogeologic and Hydrochernical Factors," U.S.
EPA, EPA-520/3-74-009, Washington, D.C., 197*.
/2*/ Peckharn, A.E., and W.G. Belter, "Consideration for Selection and
Operation of Radioactive Waste Burial Sites, in Second Ground Disposal
of Radioactive Wastes Conference," USAEC Rept. TID-7668 (Book 2),
Chalk River, Canada, September, 1961.
/25/ Richardson, R.M., "Northeastern Burial Ground Studies, in Second
Ground Disposal of Radioactive Waste Conference, USAEC Rept. TID-
7668 (Book 2), Chalk River, Canada, September, 1961.
/26/ Mawson, C.A., and A.E. Russell, "Canadian Experience with a National
Waste-Management Facility, in Management of Low-and Intermediate-
Level Radioactive Wastes," International Atomic Energy Agency
Vienna, 1971.
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85
/27/ Cherry, 3.A., G.E. Grisak, and R.E. 3ackson, "Hydrogeological Factors
in Shallow Subsurface Radioactive-Waste Management in Canada, in
Proceedings of the International Conference on Land for Waste
Management," Ottawa, Canada, October, 1973.
/28/ Fields 3r., T., and A.W. Lindsey, "Landfill Disposal of Hazardous
Wastes: A Review of Literature and Known Approaches," U.S. EPA,
EPA/530/SW-165, Washington, D.C., September, 1975.
/29/ Kelleher, W., Private communication to 3. Eng (EPA), NYSDEC, Albany,
New York, August 1976.
/30/ Kelleher, W., Letter to NFS, NYSDEC, Albany, New York, May, 1968.
/31/ Draft Generic Environmental Statement Mixed Oxide Fuel (GESMO),
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), WASH-1337, 1974.
/32/ Final Environmental Statement-ALAP LWR Effluents, Volumes 1 and 2,
U.S. AEC, WASH-1258, 3uly, 1973.
/33/ Mann, B., S. Goldberg, and D. Hendricks, "Low-Level Solid Radioactive
Waste in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle," American Nuclear Society Annual
Meeting, San Francisco, California, November, 1975.
/34/ Morton, R.3., Land Burial of Solid Radioactive Wastes: Study of
Commercial Operations and Facilities, U.S. AEC, WASH-1143, 1968.
/35/ Jordan, C.F., M.L. Stewart, and 3.R. Kline, "Tritium Movement in Soils:
The Importance of Exchange and High Initial Dispersion," Health
Physics 27, Pergamon Press, New York, 1974.
/36/ Zimmerman, U., K.O. Munnich, and W. Roether, "Isotope Techniques in
the Hydrologic Cycle," Geophysical Monograph Series No. 11., Stout,
ed., American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., 1967.
/37/ Report to Congress; Disposal of Hazardous Wastes, U.S. EPA, SW-115,
Washington, D.C. 1974.
/38/ "Summary Report: Gas and Leachate from Land Disposal of Municipal
Solid Waste," (an open file report), U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C., 1974.
/39/ "Program for the Management of Hazardous Wastes for Environmental
Protection Agency," U.S. Office of Solid Waste Management Programs,
Washington, D.C. 1973.
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APPENDIX A
GEOLOGIC DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN
NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER
(WNYNSC) SITE
Appendix A summarizes information obtained from
the "Environmental Report NFS' Reprocessing Plant,
West Valley, New York" and the report "Geology and
Hydrology of the WesternNew York Nuclear Service
Center." The geologic description is based on a
survey done on the over 3,000 acres site.
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88
During the site selection process, the area was explored by 108 power
auger holes, 14 deep wells, and a seismic survey. A power auger, equipped
with continuous flights, 6 inches in diameter was used to drill
approximately 38 of the test holes in the reprocessing facility construction
area. Screened observation wells, 1.25 inches in diameter, were installed in
or adjacent to most of these auger holes. These auger holes, which ranged
from 6 to 40 feet in depth, were sampled at 5-foot intervals by driven split-
tube samplers or, in a few instances, by the auger. Seven deeper holes,
called "drill holes," were drilled by other methods, but were also sampled
by either the split sampler or the auger. The location of the power auger
holes, the drill holes, and the burial site are shown in Figure A-l /ll/.
Broughton J2J described the geology of the area in the following
narrative:
Western New York from a little south of the latitude of Buffalo,
lies in the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province. Along the
meridian of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center site, the
land surface rises from an elevation of approximately 250 feet at the
Pennsylvania line. The preglacial erosion surface in this area was
naturally dissected upland with deeply incised valleys. Many of these
valleys have been deeply buried by glacial deposits with the result
that much of the present drainage is post-glacial and bedrock valleys,
which have depth and direction varying from the present ones, which
may be delimited by well data. The regional topographic slope is
underlain by a thick series of flatlying sedimentary rocks (shales,
sandstones, and limestones) up to as much as 9000 feet in thickness.
The rocks actually dip gently to the south at 20 to 40 feet per mile.
The result is that as one goes from north to south, the sedimentary
rock section progressively increases in thickness and younger
formations appear to the surface. The depth to crystalline
"basement" rocks at the site is estimated at about 7000 feet. In the
upper 2000 feet of rock section a lateral change of rock type also
takes place in which the relative percentage of shale increases
westward away from the Genesee River Valley.
Much of central and western New York is underlain by a salt
basin which is thickest beneath the central Finger Lake and trends
both east and west. Approximately 10,000 square miles of New York
State is underlain by this salt. The salt bed beneath the Nuclear
Service Center site, based on gas well records, should range from 11
feet to 30 feet in thickness.
All of western New York, with the exception of the area
generally encompassed by Allegheny State Park, is overlain by a
veneer of glacial deposits left by the last glacier. Most of this
consist of till (ground up clay-rock fragments containing cobbles and
pebbles) and thick deposits of sand, gravel, and clay.
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87
APPENDIX A
GEOLOGIC DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN
NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER
(WNYNSC) SITE
Appendix A summarizes information obtained from
the "Environmental Report NFS' Reprocessing Plant,
West Valley, New York" and the report "Geology and
Hydrology of the WesternNew York Nuclear Service
Center." The geologic description is based on a
survey done on the over 3,000 acres site.
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88
During the site selection process, the area was explored by 108 power
auger holes, 14 deep wells, and a seismic survey* A power auger, equipped
with continuous flights, 6 inches in diameter was used to drill
approximately 38 of the test holes in the reprocessing facility construction
area. Screened observation wells, 1.25 inches in diameter, were installed in
or adjacent to most of these auger holes. These auger holes, which ranged
from 6 to 40 feet in depth, were sampled at 5-foot intervals by driven split-
tube samplers or, in a few instances, by the auger. Seven deeper holes,
called "drill holes," were drilled by other methods, but were also sampled
by either the split sampler or the auger. The location of the power auger
holes, the drill holes, and the burial site are shown in Figure A-l I III.
Broughton [2] described the geology of the area in the following
narrative:
Western New York from a little south of the latitude of Buffalo,
lies in the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province. Along the
meridian of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center site, the
land surface rises from an elevation of approximately 250 feet at the
Pennsylvania line. The preglacial erosion surface in this area was
naturally dissected upland with deeply incised valleys. Many of these
valleys have been deeply buried by glacial deposits with the result
that much of the present drainage is post-glacial and bedrock valleys,
which have depth and direction varying from the present ones, which
may be delimited by well data. The regional topographic slope is
underlain by a thick series of flatlying sedimentary rocks (shales,
sandstones, and limestones) up to as much as 9000 feet in thickness.
The rocks actually dip gently to the south at 20 to 40 feet per mile.
The result is that as one goes from north to south, the sedimentary
rock section progressively increases in thickness and younger
formations appear to the surface. The depth to crystalline
"basement" rocks at the site is estimated at about 7000 feet. In the
upper 2000 feet of rock section a lateral change of rock type also
takes place in which the relative percentage of shale increases
westward away from the Genesee River Valley.
Much of central and western New York is underlain by a salt
basin which is thickest beneath the central Finger Lake and trends
both east and west. Approximately 10,000 square miles of New York
State is underlain by this salt. The salt bed beneath the Nuclear
Service Center site, based on gas well records, should range from 11
feet to 30 feet in thickness.
All of western New York, with the exception of the area
generally encompassed by Allegheny State Park, is overlain by a
veneer of glacial deposits left by the last glacier. Most of this
consist of till (ground up clay-rock fragments containing cobbles and
pebbles) and thick deposits of sand, gravel, and clay.
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87
APPENDIX A
GEOLOGIC DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN
NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER
(WNYNSC) SITE
Appendix A summarizes information obtained from
the "Environmental Report NFS' Reprocessing Plant,
West Valley, New York" and the report "Geology and
Hydrology of the WesternNew York Nuclear Service
Center." The geologic description is based on a
survey done on the over 3,000 acres site.
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88
During the site selection process, the area was explored by 108 power
auger holes, 14 deep wells, and a seismic survey. A power auger, equipped
with continuous flights, 6 inches in diameter was used to drill
approximately 38 of the test holes in the reprocessing facility construction
area. Screened observation wells, 1.25 inches in diameter, were installed in
or adjacent to most of these auger holes. These auger holes, which ranged
from 6 to 40 feet in depth, were sampled at 5-foot intervals by driven split-
tube samplers or, in a few instances, by the auger. Seven deeper holes,
called "drill holes," were drilled by other methods, but were also sampled
by either the split sampler or the auger. The location of the power auger
holes, the drill holes, and the burial site are shown in Figure A-l /ll/.
Broughton /2/ described the geology of the area in the following
narrative:
Western New York from a little south of the latitude of Buffalo,
lies in the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province. Along the
meridian of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center site, the
land surface rises from an elevation of approximately 250 feet at the
Pennsylvania line. The preglacial erosion surface in this area was
naturally dissected upland with deeply incised valleys. Many of these
valleys have been deeply buried by glacial deposits with the result
that much of the present drainage is post-glacial and bedrock valleys,
which have depth and direction varying from the present ones, which
may be delimited by well data. The regional topographic slope is
underlain by a thick series of flatlying sedimentary rocks (shales,
sandstones, and limestones) up to as much as 9000 feet in thickness.
The rocks actually dip gently to the south at 20 to 40 feet per mile.
The result is that as one goes from north to south, the sedimentary
rock section progressively increases in thickness and younger
formations appear to the surface. The depth to crystalline
"basement" rocks at the site is estimated at about 7000 feet. In the
upper 2000 feet of rock section a lateral change of rock type also
takes place in which the relative percentage of shale increases
westward away from the Genesee River Valley.
Much of central and western New York is underlain by a salt
basin which is thickest beneath the central Finger Lake and trends
both east and west. Approximately 10,000 square miles of New York
State is underlain by this salt. The salt bed beneath the Nuclear
Service Center site, based on gas well records, should range from 11
feet to 30 feet in thickness.
All of western New York, with the exception of the area
generally encompassed by Allegheny State Park, is overlain by a
veneer of glacial deposits left by the last glacier. Most of this
consist of till (ground up clay-rock fragments containing cobbles and
pebbles) and thick deposits of sand, gravel, and clay.
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89
Figure A-l [11]
BORING LOCATION PLAN
WESTERN NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER
[Extracted from ER, 1973]
LEGEND
Q Power Auger Hole
*Drill Hole
• Undisturbed
Drill Hole
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90
The results of the geologic field mapping conducted for siting
purposes show that shale and siltstone bedrock is exposed in the upper
valley walls of Buttermilk Creek Valley /2/. Both types of bedrock belong
to the Machias formation of the Upper Devonian Canadaway Group. They
are exposed in rock cuts of the lower portion of Buttermilk Creek not far
from its confluence with Cattaraugus Creek. These are the only outcrops
of bedrock in the area.
Information on the bedrock depth can be found in reports of
subsurface geological investigations in neighboring areas, in incomplete
logs of old wells drilled for gas, and in USGS studies related to the
subsurface disposal of radioactive wastes by hydraulic factoring. These
studies indicate that the site is underlain by a thick series of flatlying gray
and black shales down to the top of the Onondaga limestone at an
estimated depth of 2,000 feet. Included in this section are 6 black shale
layers with estimated thicknesses of 120, 20, 185, 20, 20, and 30 feet,
respectively. In addition, there are two dark gray shales with thicknesses
of 80 and 95 feet, respectively. The black and dark gray shales are
uniformly impervious but fissile [\\J'.
Limey shales and limestones underlie the Onondaga limestone, with
the Syracuse salt member of the Salina formation at a depth of
approximately 2,700 feet. The stratigraphic section from approximately
2,700 to 7,000 feet deep also includes shales, sandstones, and limestones.
There are two deep saline aquifers which have been identified in gas wells
20 miles west and 13 miles northeast. These are the Oswego sandstone, 90
feet thick at an estimated depth of 4,500 feet, and the Theresa formation,
300 to 650 feet thick at an estimated depth of 6,775 feet.
Data obtained so far indicate that the present course of Buttermilk
Creek Valley and its streams are cut mainly into glacial deposits and recent
alluvium which fill a deep pre-glacial bedrock gorge. This gorge trends
approximately N 25 W; indications are that the gorge initially drained
northward past Springville and Boston across the present course
ofCattaraugus Creek. The gorge has an average depth of 550 feet and
slopes northward, its configuartion is more rugged than that of the present
land surface /ll/.
The present Buttermilk Creek Valley was formed by the erosion of
unconsolidated glacial materials during the 10,000 to 15,000 years since the
disappearance of the last glacier. The original and much larger bedrock
valley beneath the glacial deposits was eroded by stream action over a
period of at least 60 million years and was probably deepened further by
glacial scour as the ice moved down the valley. The difference in the
power of the erosive agents and the length of time over which the erosion
was accomplished adequately accounts for the difference in size of the
valleys.
-------
STRATIGRAPHIC CROSS-SECTION
WESTERN NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER SITE
y-PERMEABLE-
f TILL
BUTTERMILK
CREEK
SILTY TILL WITH SANDY LENSES
GENERALIZED GEOLOGIC CROSS
SECTION ALONG LINE "p"
1400
2000
2700
SEA LEVEL
SHALES AND SILTSTONES
SEA LEVEL •-
ONONDAGA LIMESTONE
SHALES AND LIMESTONES
LIMESTONES AND SHALES
SYRACUSE SALT
-MEDINA SANDSTONE
RED SHALES
4500
6775
OSWEGO SANDSTONE
LIMESTONES AND SHALES
THERESA FORMATION
SCALE: 20mm= 1000 FT.
FIGURE A-2 [11]
[Extracted from ER, 1973]
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92
Glacial deposits in the Buttermilk Creek Valley range from 5 to 560
feet or more in thickness. They are neither uniform in thickness nor
consistent in iithology, the result of a single deposition. Glacial ice
advanced over and melted back from this area several times. After several
such oscillations, a series of deposits are thinnest on the higher hills along
the perimeter of the site where they form only a veneer over the bedrock
surface. The deposits thicken toward the central part of the site where
they partially fill the pre-glacial bedrock valley. Two principal types of
material at the surface in the central part of the site are /ll/;
1. Till - a very fine grained compact, dark blue-gray, heterogeneous
mixture of clay and silt, containing minor amounts of sand and stones.
The upper few feet are yellowish-brown due to weathering.
2. Coarse granular deposits - a mixture of sand and pebbles up to several
inches in diameter, which also contains minor amounts of silt and
clay. The deposits are yellowish-brown to a depth of about 15 feet
and dark greenish-gray below. The deposits are stratified or well
sorted according to grain size in some places, but not in others.
Drilling and field mapping have disclosed the existence of two types
of subsurface deposits
3. Outwash - coarse granular deposits of stratified, well sorted sands (S)
and gravels (G). Some deposits appear to be thinbedded units of both
sand and gravel (SG, GS). Such deposits are dark greenish-gray in the
drill holes, but are oxidized to a yellow-brown color where exposed in
valley walls. These deposits were laid down by melt-water streams
from the ice sheets.
i±. Lake deposits - fine-grained, thin-bedded sands, silts, and clays (V)
with minor amounts of fine pebble. Individual beds are usually well
sorted. These deposits are dark blue-grey, compact, dense, and
moist. Such materials were deposited in melt-water lakes impounded
between the ice front and higher ground in the valley south of the
site. In their gross aspects, they strongly resemble the till previously
described, differing chiefly in their laminated Iithology and lower
pebble content /JJ_/«
The surface distribution of the principal deposits described in the
previous paragraphs is shown in Figure A-3. The coarse granular deposits
overlie till in a broad belt along the lower slopes of the high hills to the
west and in a section extending out onto the northern part of the area east
of Erdman Brook. These deposits range from 0 to 25 feet thick. The tops
and upper slopes of the hills west of the construction area are covered with
3 to 10 feet of till overlying bedrock. The till in these areas is oxidized and
leached of calcium carbonate to nearly its full thickness. Locally, the
surface is littered with stones ranging from pebbles to boulders; the finer
materials have been eroded from the till.
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93
Coarse Deposit
Absent
X Exposed Section
Coarse Deposit at
Surface
CZJSilty Clayey Till
Surface
^Valley Areas
—A Cross-Section. Lines
FIGURE A-3 [11] PLANT AREA MAP-DISTRIBUTION AND LITHOLOGY
Extracted from ER, 1973] OF SURF1C1AL DEPOSITS
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1450
1 400 .
1 350 -
1300 h-
1 250 -
1200-
1 1 50
1 *00 r
1 350 -
1300 -
1250- -
1 200 -
(ISO
—1 1 1 50
COARSE-BRAINED DEPOSITS.
SANDY AND STONEY.
FINE-GRAINED TILL.
CLAYEY AND SILTY.
LAMINATED SANDS.
SILTS, AND CLAYS.
SLUMPED AREAS.
SCALE
200 200
600
too
FIGURE A-4 [11]
[Extracted from ER, 1973]
GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION IN THE PLANT AREA
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95
The till that is beneath the coarse granular deposits on the lower
slopes and that is at the surface in the central part of the construction area
forms a fairly uniform sheet from 20 to 30 feet thick. In much of the area
between Buttermilk Creek and Erdman Brook, the till sheet is almost
entirely clayey and silty. However, Broughton and Stewart /2/ report that
in much of the area from Erdman Brook west to the lower hill slopes, the
lower parts of the till sheet contain a considerable amount of very fine
sand, perhaps as much as 20 percent. The sandy zones appear to be related
to the underlying materials.
Figure A-4 gives three geological cross sections drawn along the
section lines indicated in Figure A-3. All three cross sections show the
relationships of the surficial deposits just discussed. Section A-A1 and B-B1
also show the lower sandy zones in the uppermost till sheet as "SBT." All
three sections show a thin layer of sand (S) at an altitude of about 1350
feet. The sand unit has been destroyed in some areas by incorporating into
the overlying till sheet, as the till sheet was being deposited. Geologically,
this is to be expected in till sheets and is not significant in itself.
However, in this instance it may affect groundwater conditions near the
burial site and is discussed later in this report. The coarse granular
surficial deposits are apparently not found in the several borings made in
the burial site area nor were they seen during the surface mapping /ll/.
The sequence of deposits encountered in Section A-A' and C-C" may
be considered as generally representative of those in the valley area. The
generalized section /ll/ is as follows:
Depth Below Land
Symbol Unit Surface (Feet)
BT Till, dark blue-gray silt and clay small
pebbles; dense, compact, moist 0 to 21
S Sand, coarse, some fine sand and silt
water-bearing 21 to 25K?
BT Till, as before ' 25Vi to 76
AT Gravel, coarse, and sand; silty compact
permeable but apparently not water-
bearing 76 to 80
S Sand, coarse, some silt and fine pebbles 80 to 88
BT Till, as before, abundant fine pebbles 88 to 115
S Sand, some silt and fine gravel compact 115 to 117
BT Till, as before 117 to
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96
G Gravel, coarse, sparse fine material 125)4 to 126)4
BT Till, as before 126% to 135
G Gravel, coarse to fine, sparse fine
material 135 to 1*1
BT Till, as before 1*1 to 178
S Sand, some fine gravel and silt 178 to 185
SBT Till as before, plus 20%± very fine sand 185 to 2*0
In Section B-B1 which is in the specific plant site location, the following
sequence of depositsVll/ were encountered.
Depth Below Land
Symbol Unit Surface (Feet)
AT Gravel, coarse, and sand; scattered cobbles
very silty; brown, friable, unstratified
damp 0 to 15
V Silt and fine sand; brown, stratified, sand
laminae up to K» inch thick 15 to 1654
BT Till, brown silt, coarse stoney and sandy
unstratified, moist 16)4 to 25)4
BT Till, silt, clayey, gray-brown; occasional
pebble, less than & inch diameter; unstratified,
damp 2554 to 2954
S Gravel and sand, approximately 20% silt and
clay; gray, tough, unstratified, damp 29)4 to 3154
BT Till, dark blue-gray silt and clay, contains
abundant pebbles up to 1)4 inches in diameter;
tough, dense, damp 31)4 to *0
BT Silt, clayey, gray, very sparse coarse
material; laminated, tough, dense,
moist (possibly till) *0 to *1J4
BT Till, as at 31)4 to *0 feet *154to61
SBT Till, very stoney with flat cobbles; hard;
compact; poor recovery, losing drilling
water 61 to 62
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97
SBT Till, greenish-gray, silt, clayey, abundant
small pebbles; very tough, damp 62 to 62Yi
SBT Till as at 61 to 62 feet; sandy 62& to 6W
SBT Till, gray-green, sandy; abundant pebbles
up to 1 inch diameter; very little material
smaller than fine sand; pebbles are
approximately 50% of sample (hard boulder
at 70 to 70& feet). Unstratified, very
compact damp. Unit drains drilling mud and
water from hole overnight and during
drilling 6W to 81/2
SBT Till, as at 6W to 81Xz but less moisture
and smaller pebbles 81 fc to 90
SBT Till as at 81& to 90, but very sandy and
with profuse fine to medium pebbles;
silty, tough, damp 90 to 103
SBT Till, dark gray silt and clay, abundant
fine pebbles, sparsely fine sandy; dense
tough, damp. Becomes more sandy
below 110 feet 103 to 115&
Shale, gray-green, thin bedded,
moderately hard 115% to 120 5/6
Studies of drill samples and exposed sections indicate that several
till sheets shown in the cross sections are nearly identical in texture, color, and
composition. Correlation of these deposits between outcrops and drill holes in
the cross sections indicate that some of the outwash units (S, G) and lake
deposits (V) are discontinuous. This may be due to local non-deposition or to
local destruction during the deposition of the subsequent till sheets. Local
discontinuity is typical of glacial deposits /I I/.
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APPENDIX B
HYDROLOGIC DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN
NEW YORK NUCLEAR SERVICE CENTER
(WNYNSC) SITE
Appendix B is a summary of information obtained
from the "Safety Analysis Report, NFS'
Reprocessing Plant, West Valley, New York."
The hydrologic description is based on a survey
done on the over 3,000 acres site.
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100
Usable quantities of ground water occur in three aquifers on the site.
In this report, the term "usable" means a yield of 1 to 10 gallons per minute
from a well or spring /j.9/.
Tiie coarse granular deposits at the surface (see Figure A-3)
constitute the uppermost aquifer on the site. This minor aquifer is referred
to as the non-artesian aquifer. Figure B-l is a map showing the shape and
altitude of the water table by means of contour lines based on water levels
in welis screened in this aquifer, A comparison of this map with the
topographic base map of the site shows that the water table in this aquifer
generally follows the configuration of the land surface /19/.
non-artesian aquifer is recharged by the infiltration of
precipitation. Of course, not all of the precipitation that falls on the
surface reaches the water table. Much of it is returned to the atmosphere
through evaporation and through transpiration by plants; some of it flows
directly over the land surface into streams. Ground water is also
discharged from the aquifer into the surface drainage system.
Over much of the site, the stream valleys cut through the non-
artesian aquifer, which results in relatively short travel distances by the
ground water from points of recharge to points of discharge into surface
streams, The coefficient of permeability for this aquifer has been
estimated to be 100 gallons per day per square foot /2/. The porosity of
the coarse granular deposits is estimated to be about 25 percent. An
approximate rate of ground water movement in this aquifer may be
determined by using the estimated permeability and porosity, and the
distances arid hydraulic gradients shown on Figure B-l.
The non-artesian aquifer seems to be absent from the burial site area.
This suggests that the aquifer has no significant connection with or impact
on the hydrogeoiogic system of the burial site. However, the aquifer may
discharge into Erdman Brook at several marshy areas adjacent to the brook
(see Figure B-l). Since these marshy areas are topographically higher than,
and up-gradient from the burial site area, they may represent discharge
points from the non-artesian aquifer. If this is the case, water quality and
radionuclide analyses of samples collected from seeps in these areas may
be useful in estimating the original composition of Erdman Brook water and
the present degree of contamination of the brook from the burial site, if
any, and from the reprocessing facility.
siity clayey till at the site is not an aquifer; it is, however,
largely water saturated. Pore spaces in these deposits are very small and
poorly interconnected. The movement of ground water through the till is
very slow and almost entirely capillary in nature. Three undisturbed
samples from drill hole 7 were submitted to the Hydrologic Laboratory of
the USGS for analyses of porosity, permeability, and grain-size analysis.
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101
9 Test Hole
Coarse Deposit
Ab Absent
Exposed Section
Coarse Deposit at
Surface
dDSilty Clayey Till
Surface
'Valley Areas
~* Cross-Section Lines
Ul Marsh
_._._ Approx. Boundary
of the Aquifer
FIGURE B-l: MAP OF CONSTRUCTION AREA SHOWING CONTOURS ON THE WATER
TABLE, JANUARY, 1961. [19]
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102
The samples from hole 7 are located in Section C-C1 as shown in Figure A-
4. The permeabilities cf these samples are reported in Table B-l.
Undisturbed horizontal samples were collected from exposed valley walls
near power auger holes 18, 19, and 34. The horizontal permeabilities were
found to be 0.005, 0.004, and 0.004 gal per day per square foot,
respectively.
The thin sand unit which underlies the uppermost till sheets at an
approximate elevation of 1,350 feet above sea level (see Figure A-4)
constitutes a second aquifer in the valley area. This aquifer is called the
shallow artesian aquifer. It is found in most of the areas between
Buttermilk Creek and Erdman Brook. The water levels in this aquifer and
the extent of the aquifer known at this time are shown in Figure B-2. The
overlying till sheets confine the aquifer, causing artesian conditions. Water
levels in the aquifer stand 5 to 17 feet above the top of the aquifer and 8 to
22 feet below the land surface.
The shallow artesian aquifer seems to be absent from the area where
the reprocessing plant and burial site facilities are located. This area is
bordered on the east by Erdman Brook and on the west by an unnamed
stream. The incision made in the valley floor by these two streams is deep
enough and the water table contours are such (see Figure B-l) that any
radioactivity carried by the ground water from the plant or burial site area
will show up eventually in one of these two streams and nowhere else
except, of course, for that radioactivity which is sorbed upon the soils and
held therein.
The shale bedrock constitutes the third aquifer in the area. The rate
and direction of movement of water in this aquifer are essentially unknown
because of the few wells available for observation. The shale itself has a
very low permeability, possibly in the same order of magnitude as that
indicated for the till. However, a zone of decomposed shale and rubble at
the point of contact between the shale and the overlying till transmits
small but usable quantities of water to a well. Recharge water probably
enters the bedrock on the tops and upper slopes of the higher hills, where
the till cover is thin; thereafter the water moves through the shale along
the fractures to points of discharge.
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103
Table B-l /19/
Summary of Hydrologic
and Physical
of Tills from Drill Hole
Properties
Extracted from SAR, 1962
Porosity
Coefficient of permeability3
(gallons per (day) (square foot)
Grain-size distribution:
Clay - less than 0.004 mm
Silt - 0.004-0.0625 mm
Very fine sand - 0.0625-0.125 mm
Fine sand - 0.. 125-0.25 mm
Medium sand - 0.25-0.5 mm
Coarse sand - 0.5-1.0 mm
Very coarse sand - 1.0-2.0 mm
Very fine gravel - 2.0-4.0 mm
Fine gravel - 4.0-8.0 mm
Medium gravel - 8.0-16.0 mm
Depth
3-5 Feet
35.5%
0.002
0.002
50.4
34.2
3.8
3.3
2.3
1.1
1.0
2.0
1.9
—
of Sample
13-14.8 Feet
35.4%
0.002
0.002
50.2
32.1
3.0
2.8
2.2
1.1
1.1
1.8
1.9
3.8
45-47 Feet
36.7%
0.001
0.001
55.4
32.2
2.7
2.3
2.3
1.0
0.2
1.6
2.3
—
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104
INTERMEDIATE AQUIFER
LEGStO
Approximate Boundary
af aquifer.
Location of well or
£33: hold; uoaer
nuaber is well number;
lovrtr munoer is
altitude of water
level on January Z4,
1962.
Aquifer absent.
Cf UZ Privataly-owned well
in bedrock.
of Uis construction irsa snoxttiq »*t*r 1«v«l> and txtsnc of Uie shallow artesian aquiftr.
FTgure B-2 [19]
[Extracted from SAR, 1962]
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105
APPENDIX C
Conditions and Amendments
to the NFS Burial License
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106
The burial site must conform to the requirements of Section 16.8 of
Part 16 of the New York State Sanitary Code except for conditions which
were written into the NFS burial license. These conditions and the
appropriate amendments are enumerated /2_9/.
Conditj.on_l_ The application specified the burial of solid
radioactive waste (atomic numbers 1 through 91, and limited amounts of U-
233 and plutonium) of any physical or chemical form. This was amended on
August 13, 1965 (Amend. No. 4) to permit burial of solid radioactive waste
with a surface dose rate not to exceed 10,000 R/hr for "neutron activated"
waste and 200 R/hr for "soluble in water" waste. Also the dose rate at the
surface ol a covered trench shall not exceed 1 rnR/hr. Amendment No. 5-1
(4/4/66) permitted the burial of one package of solid radioactive waste with
a surface dose rate exceeding 200 R/hr. Amendment No. 5-3 (4/17/64)
permitted the burial of unpackaged uranium-contaminated building material.
The waste was limited to 4,000 tons and 0.002 uCi/gnn. Amendment No. 5-4
(11/4/68) permitted the burial of unpackaged soil containing 50 mCi of
corrosive products, mainly Co-60 in 4,000 cubic feet of soil. The activity
was not to exceed 3,0 x 10 uCi/gm. Amendment No, 5-5 (6/27/69)
permitted the burial of liquid wastes in capped vials of 200cc capacity. The
cartons of vials were to be surrounded by vermiculite and enclosed in 55-gal.
drums. The drums were to be placed near the surface of the trench in order
to avoid crushing.
Condition_2 Each new trench had to be inspected by NFS or BRH
before burial operations commence. The inspection was to check the soil
strata, the existence of a continuous permeable till, or aquifer. If such were
found, burial could not proceed unless authorized by BRH.
Condition 3 The original license stated that the radioactive
material must be at least four feet below the surface grade. This was
modified in Amendment No. 2 (1/11/65) to require covering the waste with
four feet of fill, compaction, and repair of any cracks or openings in the
trencho This amendment removed the restriction that the waste be at least
four feet below the surface based on economic arguments by NFS as well as
to minimize the areal extent of the buried wastes. It was argued that the
Kentucky burial site utilized the full depth of the trenches. Agreement with
DOH was reached such that the trenches may be filled to the surface grade
provided the triangular edges of the trenches are not filled with waste, as
illustrated below.
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107
final cover
to provide 8 ft.
minimum cover
\ WASTE /
» »
seeded cover
4 ft. minimum cover
for initial backfill
A ditch was dug circumscribing the trench to provide improved seal between
the undisturbed soil and the fill material. The NFS operator was required to
submit a report by January 1, 1966, which would record the liquid levels at
the ends of the trenches, analyze the radioactivity in the liquid samples, and
include the state of the surface drainage system.
Amendment No. 3 (5/17/65) required waste to be covered within one
week after the trench is filled. Trench separation must be such that
undisturbed soil remain in place between trenches. Weekly measurements of
liquid levels and monthly analyses of the liquid were required. These two
amendments were added due to the concern by BRH in the continued
accumulation of water in the completed trenches.
Amendment No. 4 (8/13/65) required that the waste filled trench have
a "mounded" cover to aid in surface drainage, as shown above.
Amendment No. 5-2 (^/23/66) amended the license by not requiring an
observation well in Trench 7 nor the necessity of reporting liquid levels in
the trench. Trench 7 contained wastes that were embedded in concrete.
Amendment No. 6 (5/20/68) completly revised the burial procedure for
the new trench area (Trenches 8-11). No excavation or filling could take
place until a plan was submitted to and approved by BRH. Amendment No. 6
stated: /30/
"A new burial area shall be designed as follows: a minimum of 8 feet of
soil cover above the waste fill in the trench; individual mounds over each
trench with a grade from centerline of the surface of the trench from one
end to the other shall not exceed 7 feet; a minimum separation between
trenches of 6 feet of undisturbed soil; the cover over trenches and the fill
around the perimeter of the burial area shall be designed so as to drain
water away from the trenches, yet to minimize erosion."
"Trenches shall be constructed such that the amount of open trench
space at any time is minimized. There shall be sufficient separation of
trenches to insure that undistrubed soil remains in place between trenches.
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108
The bottom of the trench shall be sloped so that precipitation will not drain
into previously deposited waste containers. During construction, a minimum
soil cover of >4 feet shall be provided and cracks, fissures, or other openings
in the earth cover shall be repaired promptly. The earth cover shall be
maintained during construction, so as to provide adequate drainage away
from trenches. All excavated soil shall be used at the burial area.
Provisions shall be made to drain surface water away from open trenches;
pumping of rain or snow water from the open area of a trench may be done
to allow for proper working conditions in the trench."
"One or more wells shall be constructed in each new trench in such a
manner that measurement of water elevation in each well is indicative of
the water level in the trench. Each well shall be constructed to allow
pumping from a completed trench for sampling or other purposes. There
shall be no pumping from the wells without first making application to, and
obtaining approval from, the New York State Health Department."
"A report shall be submitted to the State Health Department by March
1 of each year, describing the operating experience for the previous year.
The report shall include the following; measurement of liquid levels at two-
week intervals for those trenches for which a final cover has not been
constructed; surface drainage conditions as they may relate to maintenance
and to water levels noted in the trenches; the type and/or form of
radioactive wastes buried in open trenches that may account for the
presence of radioactivity in water pumped from the open trench; the
elevation of the finished ground surface over each covered trench given at
the center and ends of each trench on plot plan of the burial site."
"The final surface for a trench shall be applied in accordance with the
approved plans, and a vegetative growth started on a trench when the fourth
parallel trench removed is being excavated and filled. The completed cover
shall be maintained by keeping a good vegetative growth and be promptly
filling any holes or fissures that appear to be more than two feet in depth.
The cover over trenches shall be reworked whenever the surface at the
center to the trench is at a lower elevation than the surface at the edge of
the trench and shall be reworked to fill depressions that cause ponding of
water over the trench."
Condition 4 It was evident that water contact with solid waste in
the uncovered trench should be kept to a minimum. If water did accumulate
in the uncovered trench, it could be discharged into Erdman Brook provided
the water has been analyzed for radioactivity and discharged in such a way
as to not violate Part 16 of the State Sanitary Code. Amendment No.3
(5/17/65) forbade the pumping of water from the completed trenches into a
lagoon or surface stream without authoriztion from BRH. Amendment No. 6
(5/20/68) affected new trenches by stipulating the water from the uncovered
trenches may be discharged provided that the contribution of gross alpha,
gross beta, and tritium to the Cattaraugus Creek were below limits set in
the amendment. Analysis to determine the existence of 1-129 had to be
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109
performed semi-annually. A stream northeast of the burial site was to be
monitored as an indicator of underground flow of radioactive isotopes.
Condtion 5 Burial operations were to be conducted to minimize
the dispersion of radioactive materials via weather or wildlife.
Condition 6 NFS was required to maintain records for each trench.
Amendment No. 3 (5/17/65) required that the trench boundaries be
delineated and that the concrete cairns be provided within six months after
the trench is completed. Amendment No. 4 (8/13/65) required records be
kept on the burial location of each waste shipment. The records were to
indicate length from the cairns and depth to the waste.
Condition 7 Due to the extensiveness of soil relocation, procedures
had to be developed to minimze soil erosion.
Condition 8 Restrictions were placed on vehicles which carried
radioactive waste to the site if they exceeded limits set in the license.
Condition 9 A sampling station downstream from the burial site
had to be maintained to analyze samples for radioactivity.
Condition 10 The burial site had to comply with the procedures in
the Application for Radioactive Materials License of August 23, 1963 in the
letters from NFS, and in the Waste Storage Agreement between NYS-ASDA
and NFS.
Condition 11 The authorization for the operation of the burial site
was to cease upon termination of the Waste Storage Agreement.
Condition 12 Permission to bury any designated wastes could be
rescinded upon notification by BRH to NFS as stated in Amendment No. 4
(8/13/65).
Condition 13 Provisions were made in Amendment No. 7 (9/4/68) for
the burial of special high-level wastes in an area designated as "Special
Purpose Burial Area."
An amendment was proposed on November 27, 1972, but not adopted
since the burial site was closed in March 1975. It prohibited the burial of
transuranium nuclides with atomic number greater than 91, of nuclides with
atomic numbers 82 through 91 with a half life greater than 1,000 days, of I-
129, of fuel elements, of explosive or pyrophoric materials, of liquids, and of
pesticides, chemicals, biologicals, or other toxic constituents.
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APPENDIX D
GENERAL LOW-LEVEL WASTE
CATEGORIZATION
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The Atomic Energy Commission divided radioactive waste products
into two categories, "high-level waste" and "other than high-level waste."
The latter is commonly called "low-level waste." High-level waste is
defined as "aqueous waste resulting from the operation of the first cycle
solvent extraction system, or equivalent, and the concentrated waste of
subsequent extraction cycles, or equivalent, in a facility from reprocessing
irradiated reactor fuels" /31/.
The low-level wastes may include transuranium contaminated wastes;
these wastes can be buried at commercial burial sites, regardless of the
activity and hazard potential of the waste, unless there are specific site
regulations against it. The NFS license permitted the burial of
radionuclides of atomic numbers 1-91, U-233 and plutonium; the last two
items were subject to license limitations. However, at the request of the
State, NFS stopped the burial of plutonium at the site. The types and
quantities of radionuclides buried are also important. Nuclear power plant
wastes account for only 10 percent by volume of the total waste buried at
NFS. Institutional or industrial wastes make up a large portion of the
waste buried, but these are usually limited in the variety of radionuclides.
For example, institutions produce mainly C-14 and H-3.
Estimates of the typical radioactivity content of PWR and BWR
wastes are presented in Table D-l and D-2 and are based on estimates by
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) /32/. Estimates made by
NRC of the annual radwaste volumes and specific activities for a 1,100
MWe light water reactor are presented in Table D-3. The EPA, however,
estimates that approximately 25,000 cu-ft. of low-level solid wastes are
produced and shipped off site per year from a 1,000 MWe PWR /33/. The
reactor wastes include evaporator concentrates, filter sludges, resins,
filters, dry trash, and miscellaneous used or failed equipment. The large
differences in the various estimates of the total solid radwaste produced
and the high degree of variability in the data concerning specific activity
of such wastes show than an accurate characterization of reactor-
generated solid wastes is difficult at this time.
Most of the wastes buried at West Valley are believed to be large
volume, low hazard potential, solid wastes such as paper trash, cleanup
materials and sorbed liquids, packing materials, broken glassware, plastic
protective clothing, radioactive carcasses of experimental animals, and
contaminated equipment. In describing the wastes actually being buried at
commercial burial sites, Morton estimated that 70 percent volume would be
paper-materials and that the density of the total waste would be about 10
Ibs/f
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TABLE D-l [32]
Typical Radioactivity Content
Nuclide
Sr-89
Sr-90
Zr-95
Ru-103
Ru-106
Te-127m
Te-129m
Cs-134
Cs-137
Ce-144
Crr51
tyn-54
Fe-55
Fe-59
Co-58
Co-60
Total
in Solid Waste - PWR Plants
Half Life
52.7 d
27.7 y
65.0 d
39.5 d
368.0 d
109.0 d
34.1 d
2.0 y
30.0 y
284.0 d
27.8 d
303.0 d
2.6 y
45.6 d
71.4 d
5.3 y
Activity*
(Ci/Yr Reactor)
2.0
2.7
0.64
0.10
1.7
11
1.3
2.8 x 103
2.7 x 103
4.2
0.35
22
200
1.8
120
280
6.1 x 103
* After 180 day decay
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TABLE D-2 [32]
Typical Radioactivity Content
Nuclide
Sr-89
Sr-90
Zr-95
Ru-106
Te-127m
Cs-134
Cs-137
Ce-141
Ce-144
Cr-51
Mn-54
Fe-55
Fe-59
Co-58
Co-60
Total
in Solid Wastes - BWR
Half Life
52.7 d
27.7 y
65.0 d
368.0 d
109.0 d
2.0 y
30.0 y
32.5 d
284.0 d
27.8 d
303.0 d
2.6 y
45.6 d
71.4 d
5.3 y
Plants
Activity*
(Ci/Yr Reactor)
49
90
1.1
2.1
1.6
130
120
0.25
5.1
0.60
13
800
6.6
130
200
1.6 x 103
* After 180 day decay
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Table D-3 [32]
Estimated Annual Radwaste Volumes and
Activities From
ids:
ir Concentrates
pment
1100 MWe Light
PWR
Ci/Ft3
1.0-00
0.1-1
<0.01
>100
Water
Ft^/Yr
1,300
3,000
3,000
200
Reactors
BWR
Ci/Ft3
0.1-1
1-20
<0.01
>100
Ft3/Yr
2,000
7,300
3,500
200
Resins
Trash
Total 7,500 13,000
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APPENDIX E
TRITIUM DEPOSITION STUDIES
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A study by Jordan et aL [35] has determined that the rate of
variation of a controlled deposit of tritium varies with depth up to a depth
of W centimeters, To summarize the portion of this work pertinent to the
boring data,9 the .investigators observed an approximate one o-rder 'A
magnitude increase in tritium levels over a band of roughly 30 centimeters
proceeding downward as a "slug" of radioactivity up to 1^5 days after
deposition. The depth to which the slug of tritium traveled was about k-Q
cm at which time uptake by roots was given credit for the gradual decrease
in concentration,, The investigators did not conclude positively or
negatively that the slug would travel further in depth than 40 centimeters
if roots were not present. It was concluded by Zimmerman et al /36/ that
the slug is a slowly broadening pulse. These observations were made over a
period of months,
At West Valley, the time scale of vertical radionuclide movement is
5-40 years for the north end trenches (trenches 1-5)= Based on Zimmerman
et aLj it is believed that the slug will be broadened and be-diluted;, he-nee
there -vould be little evidence for the existence of a slug after a few years°
Also, experiments were designed to observe the tritium distribution in the
soil after one application of tritiated water* In the case of West Valley,
the surface contamination due to the fuel reprocessing plant would have
been an ever-present surface source of tritium over the five years it
operated* Subsequent to its closing in 1972 contamination from the plant
to the surrounding area should have ceased.
Thb would indicate for the purpose of this report that if tritium were
deposited on the surface area adjacent to the trenches, it would probably
not appear in the boring data as a downward travelling slug at depths of
greater than a few feet because of diffusion, root uptake mechanisms, and
the length of time since deposition. This is critical since to determine if
s«jrt,?cft •'•-•ontairnination migrating downward or subsurface leakage
migrating laterally is present, one must be able to distinguish some pattern
for each contamination mechanism.
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APPENDIX F
SECURE HAZARDOUS WASTE
LANDFILL DISPOSAL CRITERIA BACKGROUND
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One of the primary conclusions of EPA's Report to Congress on
Hazardous Waste Disposal is that current hazardous waste management
practices are generally unacceptable, and that public health welfare are
unnecessarily threatened by the uncontrolled discharge of such waste
materials into the environment, especially upon the land /37/. With the
exception of radioactive and pesticide wastes, landbased hazardous waste
treatment, storage, and disposal activities are essentially unregulated at
the Federal level. Hazardous waste legislation has been enacted in a few
states but efforts spawned by these State laws are still in early stages of
development and program staffing levels are fairly low. Thus, the disposal
of the majority of hazardous wastes generated in the U.S. is not regulated
by either State or Federal government. In roughest terms the cost to treat
and dispose of hazardous waste in an environmentally adequate manner
exceeds the cost for simple dumping on land by an order of magnitude /39/.
Given the regulatory climate and economics as described, it is easy to
understand why current hazardous waste management practices are
unacceptable.
A further consequence of the absence of substantial incentive to
dispose of hazardous wastes adequately is the inevitable lag caused in the
research, demonstration, and refinement of suitable disposal methods.
Secure land burial, or the "chemical waste landfill," in particular is far
from established as a well-developed science. In general terms, such
operations provide complete long-term protection for the quality of surface
and subsurface waters from hazardous waste deposited therein, and against
hazards to public health and the environment. Such sites should be located
or engineered to avoid direct hydraulic continuity with surface and
subsurface waters. Generated leachates should be contained and
subsurface flow into one disposal area eliminated. Monitoring wells should
be established and a sampling and analysis program conducted. The
location of the disposal site should be recorded in the appropriate local
office of legal jurisdiction.
A special operating permit will not likely be required under the terms
of future regulations. Of course, these requirements are also desirable in
standard sanitary landfills. The primary difference involves the degree of
concern and care which must be exercised where hazardous materials are
involved. If there is potential for hazardous wastes to percolate or leach to
ground water, then the use of barriers and collection will be necessary.
Due to potentially hazardous reactions, wastes must be segregated and
records kept of disposal areas. Neutralization, chemical fixation,
encapsulation, and other pretreatment techniques are often necessary.
Because of the high concentrations of hazardous wastes, attentuation
capacity may be reached relatively quickly. Leachate treatment may be
more complex due to the wide variety of waste types and constituents.
Due to volatility or for other reasons, land disposal of hazardous wastes
normally requires a greater degree of care and sophistication in design and
operation at a given site than would normally be necessary with municipal
refuse /38/. Some of the general criteria to be considered in selecting
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evaluating a chemical waste landfill site are as follows /28/;
(a) Chemical waste landfills ideally should be located in areas of
low population density, low alternative land use value, and low
ground water contamination potential.
(b) All sites should be located away from flood plains, natural
depressions, and excessive slopes.
(c) All sites should be fenced or otherwise guarded to prevent
public access.
(d) Wherever possible, sites should be located in areas of high clay
content due to the low permeability and beneficial absorptive
properties of such soils.
(e) All sites should be within a relatively short distance of existing
rail and highway transportation.
(f) Major waste generation should be nearby. Wastes transported
to the site should not require transfer during shipment.
(g) All sites should be located an adequate distance from existing
wells that serve as water supplies for human or animal
consumption.
(h) Wherever possible, sites should have low rainfall and high
evaporation rates.
(i) Records should be kept of the location of various hazardous
waste types within the landfill to permit future recovery if
economics or necessity permit. This will help facilitate an
analysis of causes if undesirable reactions or other problems
develop within the site.
(j) Detailed site studies and waste characterization studies are
necessary to estimate the long-term stability and leachability
of the waste sludges in the specific site selected.
(k) The site should be located or designed to prevent any
significant, predictable leaching or run-off from accidental
spills occurring during waste delivery.
(1) The base of the landfill site should be a sufficient j distance
above the high water table to prevent leachate movement to
aquifers. Waste leachability and soil attentuation and
transmissivity characterisitcs are important in determining
what is an acceptable distance. Evapotranspiration and
precipitation characteristics are also important. The use of
liners, encapsulation, detoxification, and/or
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solidification/fixation can be used in high water or poor soil
areas to decrease ground water deterioration potential.
(rn) All sites should be located or designed so that no hydraulic
surface or subsurface connection exists with standing or flowing
surface water. The use of liners and/or encapsulation can
prevent hydraulic connection.
The use of liners is becoming somewhat more widespread. When
impervious basins are desired at a landfill site and the existing soil is not
suitable, artificial liners are a potential solution to the problem. All
prospective liners should be pretested for strength and compatibility with
the expected wastes. Due to relatively few applications and recent
emergence of various liner materials, the long-term effects of different
hazardous wastes in landfill upon the liner's life cannot be determined in a
definitive manner.
The primary EPA program responsibility for land disposal of
hazardous wastes resides in OSWMP. A concerted effort is being conducted
by OSWMP and involves the development of a full-scale model hazardous
waste land disposal demonstration project. Appropriate waste and site
preparation procedures necessary to dispose of selected hazardous wastes
will be included. Site selection, management, and operating procedures and
problems will also be highlighted.
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