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Measurement of Columbia River flow time from Hanford Reactors to Astoria, Oregon—Summer 1966
Author(s) -
Hanson Peter J.,
Forster William O.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr005i005p01129
Subject(s) - environmental science , tracer , volume (thermodynamics) , flow (mathematics) , hydrology (agriculture) , hazardous waste , chromate conversion coating , chromium , waste management , geology , engineering , materials science , geotechnical engineering , metallurgy , nuclear physics , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Chromium‐51 induced in the Hanford production reactors was used to measure Columbia River flow times between the reactors and Astoria, Oregon. This opportunity came during the summer of 1966 when all reactors were inoperative for the first time in 22 years. Chromium‐51, introduced into the river as chromate anion ( 51 Cr S ) tends to remain in solution, thus providing a suitable water‐mass tracer. The complex inverse relationship of flow time to volume discharge is seen in our values of 12 days flow time from the reactors to Astoria, Oregon, during an average discharge of 290,000 cfs and 19 days flow time at a low volume discharge of 130,000 cfs. Such short travel time could be critical in the event of an accidental release into the river of extremely hazardous levels of radioactivity.