Behavior and Transport of Radionuclides in the Columbia River Between Hanford and Vancouver, Washington1

Abstract

A study of the behavior and transport by the Columbia River of the eleven radionuclides 46Sc, 51Cr, 54Mn, 58Co, 59F9Fe, 60Co, 65Zn, 95Zr‐96Nb, 106Ru, 124Sb, and 140Ba was carried out in the river reach between Pasco and Vancouver, Washington, during the period January 1964 through January 1965. This study was accomplished by direct counting of water salts and filter samples on a multidimensional gamma‐ray spectrometer and represents the first measurements of the interactions of most of these radionuclides in the river. Through this multiple tracer technique, the specific and relative behaviors of these radionuclides in regard to their sorption by and movement with suspended particulate matter in the Columbia River were determined. Depletion of these radionuclides from the river during transport and the radionuclide inventory in the stream bed for the river reach between Pasco and Vancouver were also estimated.

Summary of Radiological Monitoring of Columbia and Snake River Sediment, 1988 Through 2004

“…Cobalt-60 was readily observed in Columbia River sediment during the operation period of the Hanford single-pass reactors and was found to be associated largely with particles Perkins et al 1966). During the operational period of the single-pass reactors, the fraction of cobalt-60 associated with particles, compared with water concentrations, increased with increasing distance downstream .…”

“…Strontium-90 typically was not analyzed in Columbia River sediment during the operational period of the single-pass reactors Perkins et al 1966) or following the shutdown of the single-pass reactors (Robertson and Fix 1977;Beasley and Jennings 1984). These early studies focused on primarily on gamma emitting radionuclides (particularly activation products) associated with the releases from the single pass reactors; whereas, inputs of strontium-90 to the Columbia River during this period would have been dominated by atmospheric fallout (Jaquish 1993;Poston et al 1998).…”

“…Manganese-54 has a half-life of 312 days and is produced as an activation product in light water nuclear reactors and from weapons testing. Manganese-54 was readily observed in Columbia River sediment during the operation period of the Hanford single-pass reactors and was found to be associated largely with particles Perkins et al 1966). Almost 20 half-lives passed from the time the last single-pass reactor shut down (1971) and this reporting period began; thus, there should be no observable Hanford-originated manganese-54 in Columbia River sediment.…”

Preface

“…Guy 1964;Holeman 1968;Dietrich and Dunne 1978;Bogen 1980). In the same time period, other studies demonstrated the usefulness of tracers, first radionuclides (Perkins et al 1966;Ritchie and McHenry 1975), and later heavy metals (Wolfenden and Lewin 1978;Nriagu et al 1979), for identifying the sources of sediment and for tracking sediment through river systems. In the 1970s, concerns about deteriorating water quality extended the research interest to sediment transport in catchments, as sediment was considered itself as a contaminant and its role as a carrier for other contaminants, such as metals and nutrients, was increasingly acknowledged (Stall 1972;Williams 1975;Karr and Schlosser 1978).…”

The history of plutonium and cesium-137 contamination of the Ob River delta sediments

“…The cooling of nuclear reactors with river water and its subsequent return to the river provides a wide spectrum of radioactive transition elements to the river water. Perkins et al (1966) have studied a series of radionuclides in the waters of Columbia River that are the products of activation of river water constituents and corrosion products of the Hanford reactor cooling system.…”