From the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s, the U.S. government constructed and operated facilities at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington to produce nuclear material for defense purposes. During that 40-year period, large quantities of radioactive and chemical wastes were produced. Some waste entered and contaminated the environment; the remainder is stored in various containers across the Hanford Site. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A (DOE 1988) mandated that site-specific radiological performance assessments be conducted before placing waste in disposal facilities. These performance assessments must provide a reasonable assurance that the disposal activities will protect long-term human health and safety before DOE approves the facilities. This case study describes a 1980 vadose zone injection experiment and subsequent modeling study intended to demonstrate that model results can provide a reasonable assurance of protection.
Revised: December 22, 2006 |
Published: December 1, 2000
Citation
Fayer M.J. 2000.A Vadose Zone Injection Experiment for Testing Flow and Transport Models. In Vadose Zone Science and Technology Solutions, edited by BB Looney and RW Falta. 804-814. Columbus, Ohio:Battelle Press.PNNL-SA-31722.