- Author :
- Publisher :
- Release : 1993
- ISBN :
- Pages : 11 pages
Results of a Baseflow Tritium Survey of Surface Water in Georgia Across from the Savannah River Site
Download or read book Results of a Baseflow Tritium Survey of Surface Water in Georgia Across from the Savannah River Site written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In October 1991 the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) issued a press release notifying the public that tritium had been measured in elevated levels (1,200 - 1,500 pCi/1) in water samples collected from drinking water wells in Georgia across from the Savannah River Site in Aiken Co. South Carolina. None of the elevated results were above the Primary Drinking Water Standard for tritium of 20,000 pCi/l. The GDNR initiated 2 surveys to determine the source and extent of elevated tritium: (1) baseflow survey of surface water quality, and (2) well evaluation program. Results from the 2 surveys indicate that the tritium measured in groundwater wells in Georgia is not the result of a groundwater flow from South Carolina under the Savannah River and into Georgia. Atmospheric transport and consequent rainout and infiltration has resulted in an increase of tritium in the water-table aquifer in the vicinity. Water samples collected from drinking water wells believed to have been installed in the aquifer beneath the water-table aquifer were actually from the shallower water-table aquifer. Water samples collected from the wells contain the amount of tritium expected for the water-table aquifer in the sample area. The measured tritium levels in the well samples and baseflow samples do not exceed Primary Drinking Water Standards. Tritium levels in the water-table in Georgia will decline as the atmospheric releases from SRS decline, tritium undergoes natural decay, and infiltration water with less tritium flushes through the subsurface.