Open AccessThe organization and operation of the Savannah River Plant`s groundwater monitoring program. Revision 3
Author(s) -
Christopher Olson,
J.D. Heffner
Publication year - 1988
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/353377
Subject(s) - groundwater , savannah river site , environmental science , national laboratory , abandonment (legal) , hydrology (agriculture) , waste management , engineering , radioactive waste , geotechnical engineering , engineering physics , political science , law
The Savannah River Plant (SRP) is operated by Du Pont for the Department of Energy. The plant has been operating since 1952 and is one of the largest industrial facilities in the nation. Its function is to produce nuclear materials for the national defense. This paper describes the organization and operation of the Groundwater Monitoring Program (GMP) at the SRP. Groundwater has been actively monitored for radiological parameters at the SRP since the commencement of site operations in the 1950s. More recently, monitoring expanded to include chemical parameters and numerous additional facilities. The GMP is a large monitoring program. Over 700 wells monitor more than 70 facilities which are spread over 300 square miles. The program includes both Du Pont personnel and contractors and is responsible for all phases of groundwater monitoring: the installation (or abandonment) of monitoring wells, the determination of water quality (sample collection, analysis, data review, etc.), and the generation of reports