Preliminary Assessment of the Nuclide Migration from the Activation Zone Around the Proposed Spallation Neutron Source Facility

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential impacts of migrating radionuclides from the activation zone around the proposed Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Using conservatively high estimates of the potential inventory of radioactive activation products that could form in the proposed compacted-soil shield berm around an SNS facility on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), a conservative, simplified transport model was used to estimate the potential worst-case concentrations of the 12 long-lived isotopes in the groundwater under a site with the hydrologic characteristics of the ORR. Of the 12, only 3 isotopes showed any potential to exceed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 20 Drinking Water Limits (DWLs). These isotopes were 14C, 22Na, and 54Mn. The latter two activation products have very short half-lives of 2.6 years and 0.854 year, respectively. Therefore, these will decay before reaching an off-site receptor, and they cannot pose off-site hazards. However, for this extremely conservative model, which overestimates the mobility of the contaminant, 14C, which has a 5,730-year half-life, was shown to represent a potential concern in the context of this study's conservative assumptions. This study examines alternative modifications to the SNS shield berm and makes recommendations