Publications

Soil-water movement under natural-site and simulated waste-site conditions were compared by monitoring four experimental sites in the Mojave Desert, Nevada, during a 5-year period: one vegetated soil profile, one soil profile where vegetation was removed, and two nonvegetated test trenches. Precipitation ranged from 14 to 162 mm/yr. Temporal changes in water content measured by neutron probe were

The suitability of a waste-burial site depends on hydrologic processes that can affect the near-surface water balance. In addition, the loss of burial trench integrity by erosion and subsidence of trench covers may increase the likelihood of infiltration and percolation, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the site in isolating waste. Although the main components of the water balance may be defi

As arid sites in the western United States are increasingly sought for disposal of the Nation's hazardous wastes and as volumes of locally generated wastes increase, concern about the potential effect of contaminants on environmental quality is being raised. Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert research site near Beatty, Nevada are being done to evaluate mechanisms that can affe

This report contains papers presented at the "Joint U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Technical Workshop on Research Related to Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) Disposal" that was held at the USGS National Center Auditorium, Reston, Virginia, May 4-6, 1993. The objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for exchange of information, ideas, and technol

Interpretations of the distributions of tritiated water vapor (HTOV) and 14carbon dioxide gas (14CO2) concentrations in the unsaturated zone adjacent to the low-level radioactive-waste burial site south of Beatty, Nevada, suggest that observed concentrations of 14CO2 could be explained by either diffusive or advective transport of the radioactive gas from the site.The distribution of HTOV cannot b

Arid sites commonly are assumed to be ideal for long-term isolation of wastes. Information on properties and variability of desert soils is limited, however, and little is known about how the natural site environment is altered by installation of a waste facility. During fall construction of two test trenches next to the waste facility on the Amargosa Desert near Beatty, NV, samples were collected

il-heat-flux data were collected at a study site adjacent to a low-level radioactive-waste burial facility near Beatty, Nevada, for calendar year 1992. Data were collected in support of ongoing studies to estimate the potential for downward movement of radionuclides into the unsaturated sediments beneath waste-burial trenches at the arid facility. Data collected for the whole year include air temp

Disposal of low-level radioactive wastes has been a concern since the 1950's. These wastes commonly are buried in shallow trenches (Fischer, 1986, p. 2). Water infiltrating into the trenches is considered the principal process by which contaminants are transported away from the buried wastes, although gaseous transport in some areas may be important. Arid regions in the western United States have

Infiltration into and drainage from facilities for the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes is considered the major process by which non-volatile contaminants are transported away from the facilities. The session included 10 papers related to the processes of infiltration and drainage, and to the simulation of flow and transport through the unsaturated zone. The first paper, presented by David

This report identifies key technical issues related to hydrologic assessment of water flow in the unsaturated zone at low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facilities. In addition, a methodology for incorporating these issues in the performance assessment of proposed LLW disposal facilities is identified and evaluated. The issues discussed fall into four areas:Estimating the water balance at

No abstract available.

Selected meteorological data were collected at a study site adjacent to a low-level radioactive-waste burial facility near Beatty, Nevada, for calendar years 1990 and 1991. Data were collected in support of ongoing studies to estimate the potential for downward movement of radionuclides into the unsaturated sediments beneath waste-burial trenches at the facility. The data include air temperature,