Fate of Groundwater Radionuclides Moving Through Small … · 2015-09-24 · Igneous Rocks Two-Mica Granite. Ionizing Radiation RadiationRadiation Alpha Particle ... Short 25 16.6

Fate of Groundwater Radionuclides Moving Through

Small Community Systems

Thomas P. BallesteroUniversity Of New Hampshire

Environmental Research Group

Radionuclides in Drinking WaterWorkshop on Implementing the Radionuclides Rule

April 3rd 2007Chelmsford, MA

Acknowledgements

US EPANH WTTACVT DECNH DESNEIWPCC

and Collaborating Sites

http://www.unh.edu/erg/wttac/

or search for NH WTTAC

Presentation Available at:

Radioactivity in Rock in New Hampshire

Igneous Rocks

Two-Mica Granite

Ionizing Radiation

RadiationRadiation

Alpha Particle

Neutron Particle

Beta Particle

Radioactive Atom

Gamma Ray (X Ray)

The Geology and Progeny of Uranium

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

• NEIWPCC• NH DES• VT DEC• CT DEP• ME DEP• NH WTTAC

TAC Objectives

• Define the problem• Number of systems currently affected• Site specific characteristics• Number of systems to be affected

following implementation of the Radionuclides Rule

• Review QAPP

adultelderly housing

nursing homeDescription

113240175System Population

Private HomeCOMCOMCOMCommunity

or Private

VT -Colchester

CT -BrookfieldCT - MorrisRI - South

KingstownSite

Description

System Population

Community or Private

22 elderly housing

2 adults/1 infant

shopping mall

high school18 units

243100 employees53045

COMPrivate HomeNTNCNTNCCOM

NH -Pelham

NH -Pelham

NH -Pelham

NH -Canaan

NH -FitzwilliamsSite

Storage

Tank

Well

Regeneration Tank

Treated water

End Users

Septic Tank

D-Box

Leach Field

Backwash Water

Radionuclide Fate and Transport Study

Generic Monitoring Locations

SS--11

Ion exchange unit SS--22Hydropneumatic Storage

SS--33

SS--44 SS--55Backwash Waste Water

SS--66 SS--77

Domestic Waste Water

Liquid Samples1. Bedrock Groundwater2. Treatment Unit Backwash3. Finished Water4. Household Wastewater Stream5. Septic Tank Sludge/Scum/Liquid – Time

since pumping/backwash6. Septic Tank Effluent - Time since

pumping/backwash7. Vadose Zone Soil Moisture8. Shallow Groundwater – Up- and

Downgradient

Solid Samples

1. Bedrock2. Native Soil3. Leach Field Soil4. Soil – In plume

Target Analytes - Liquids

Uranium as U308

Uranium – assuming the activity of natural Uranium is 6.77 x 10-7 Ci/gm

Radium - 228Radium - 226Gross Beta

Gross Alpha less Radon and Uranium

Gross Alpha

Analyte

Target Analytes - Solids

Uranium as U308

Radium - 228

Radium - 226

Gross Beta

Gross Alpha

Analyte

Analytical Methods - Liquids

0.7ASTM D2907-97Uranium as U308

0.5ASTM D2907-97Uranium – assuming the

activity of natural Uranium is 6.77 x 10-7 Ci/gm

1.0 - 0.5EPA Ra - 05Radium - 2280.1SM 7500 – Ra BRadium - 226

10 – 1.9EPA 900.0Gross Beta

10 - 2.0EPA 900.0Gross Alpha less Radon and Uranium

10 - 2.0EPA 900.0Gross Alpha

DetectionLimitMethodAnalyte

Analytical Methods - Solids

10 - 4ASTM D2907-97 (modified)Uranium as U308

1.3 – 0.8EPA Ra-05 (modified)Radium - 228

0.7 – 0.01SM 705 (modified)Radium - 226

4.3 – 0.6EPA 900.0 (modified)Gross Beta

7.7 – 0.3EPA 900.0 (modified)Gross Alpha

DetectionLimitMethodAnalyte

POU/POE systems shown to remove uranium include reverse osmosis, distillation, special adsorbent media (such as titanium dioxide) and anion exchange.

ResidualsThe more effective the coagulant or

adsorbent, the higher is the radioactivity in the residuals. (Clifford, 2001)

80,000 pCi/L spent brine(30,000 BV run length)

Anion Exchange for Uranium Removal

800 pCi/g Fe(OH)3(s)Fe(III) Coag-Filtration for Uranium Removal

21,000 pCi/g dry MnO2(s)Coag-Filt w/ MnO2(s) for Radium Removal

600 pCi/L spent brine20 pCi/g dry resin

Ion Exchange Softening for Radium Removal

Selected Sites

• Morris, CT – Elderly Housing• Middleton Springs, VT – Elementary

School

• Bedford, NH – Residential• Pelham, NH – Apartment Complex

Site Bedrock

Biotite/Garnet TypesTill VT - Middletown Springs

Schist GranofelsCT - Morris

Ratlum Mountain SchistCT - Morris

Light gray biotite-muscovite SchistWell #4 65 ftTill

(Pleistocene)NH - Bedford

English Woods

Rangeley Formation (Silurian)Well #1 473 ftTill

(Pleistocene)NH - Bedford

English Woods

Ayer GraniteWell #2 575 ftWell #3 625 ft

Till(Pleistocene)

NH - Pelham Old Lawrence Road

Geology at DepthWell DepthSurficial GeologySite

Gross Alpha

(pCi/L) Ra 226 + Ra 228

(pCi/L) Morris, CT 4.5 4.2 Middleton Springs, VT - Short 25 16.6 Middleton Springs, VT - Long 240 68 Pelham, NH 88 14 Bedford, NH 12 10.5 Criteria 15 5

Radionuclides Rule

4 mrem/yrBeta particle activity

30 ug/LUranium

15 pCi/LGross alpha particle activity

5 pCi/LCombined radium 226 and 228

Morris, CT Site

Morris, CT SystemCommunity Building (~100 gpd)

• Bedrock well• Submersible pump• Ion exchange• ~2 - 5,000 gal atmospheric storage tanks• 200 gal septic tank• Linear leach trench

Storage

Tank

Well

Regeneration Tank

Treated water

End Users

Septic Tank

D-Box

Leach Field

Backwash Water

Ion exchange unitHydropneumatic Storage

Backwash Waste Water

Domestic Waste Water

Septic Tank

D-Box

Leach Trench Field

Backwash Waste Water

Domestic Waste Water

Morris, CT Groundwater

1.41.00.00.74.03.54.5

Uranium(ug/l)

Uranium*(pCi/l)

Radium228

(pCi/l)

Radium226

(pCi/l)

GrossBeta

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha

less Rn &U

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha(pCi/l)

Middleton Springs, VT Site

Middleton Springs, VT SystemElementary School (68 students, 9

faculty, 9 staff, ~1,000 gpd)

• Bedrock well• Submersible pump• 6,000 gal atmospheric storage• 4 – 100 gal hydropneumatic storage tanks• 10,000 gal septic tank• 4,000 pumping tank• Leach field trench system

Storage

Tank

Well

End Users

Pumping Tank

D-Box

Leach Field

Hydropneumatic Storage

Domestic Waste Water

Septic Tank

school

Leach Field

Leach Field

Middleton Springs, VT Groundwater

2801900.61843502408.15.50.00.94951120140.72.27.12539

Uranium(ug/l)

Uranium*(pCi/l)

Radium228

(pCi/l)

Radium226

(pCi/l)

GrossBeta

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha

less Rn &U

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha(pCi/l)

Middleton Springs, VT Radionuclides Fate

22%

78%

Finished WaterLeach Field

Bedford, NH Site

Bedford, NH SystemResidential Community (pop. 50,

19 service connections)

• 2 Bedrock wells (473 ft and 65 ft)• Submersible pumps• Green sand filter (Manganese)• Atmospheric storage• Hydropneumatic storage• Backwash directly to “pit”

Storage

Tank

Well

Treated water

End Users

Surface Discharge

Backwash Water

Green Sand FilterHydropneumatic Storage

Backwash Waste Water

Bedfrod, NH Bedrock

<42.30.5238.8Native Soil – Jul 2006 – sample 2

<41.41.0165.3Native Soil – Jul 2006 – sample 1

<40.11.82214Native Soil – Aug 2005

<40.81.42516Bedrock (Mt. Miner @ 400 ft)

<40.01.02812Bedrock (Mt. Miner @ 250 ft)

Uraniumas

U238(mg/kg)

Radium228

(pCi/g)

Radium226

(pCi/g)

GrossBeta

(pCi/g)

GrossAlpha(pCi/g)Sample Description

Bedford, NH Groundwater

28190.81.0304.0239.26.20.64.56.46.012

Uranium(ug/l)

Uranium*(pCi/l)

Radium228

(pCi/l)

Radium226

(pCi/l)

GrossBeta

(pCi/l)

GrossAlphaless Rn

&U

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha(pCi/l)

58Well House and Treatment - Bedford, NH

Well House and Discharge Pit - Bedford, NH

Downgradient of Discharge Pit - Bedford, NH

Upgradient of Discharge Pit - Bedford, NH

Pelham, NH Site

Pelham, NH SystemApartment Complex (pop. 25, 22

service connections)• 2 Bedrock wells (575 ft and 625 ft)• Submersible pumps• Acid Neutralizer (Calcite)• Cation Exchange Unit (Sodium form)• Anion Exchange Unit (Chloride form)• Atmospheric storage• Hydropneumatic storage• Backwash directly to “pit”

Storage

Tank

Well

Treated water

End Users

Surface Discharge

Backwash Water

Acid Neutralization Hydropneumatic

Storage

Backwash Waste Water

Cation Exchange

Anion Exchange

Treatment System Maintenance

Backwash:• Acid Neutralizer twice per week• Cation Exchange unit four times per week• Anion Exchange every two weeks

Well House and Treatment - Pelham, NH

Discharge to Ground - Pelham, NH

Discharge Pit - Pelham, NH

Downstream of Discharge Pit - Pelham, NH

Pelham, NH Bedrock

<40.32.58.38.1Native Soil

<40.71.0143.5Bedrock (Sherburne Rd @ 500 ft)

<40.00.9198.9Bedrock (Sherburne Rd @ 300 ft)

170.37.06135Bedrock (Ayer Granite @ 340 ft)

<40.81.4269.8Bedrock (Schist @ 160 ft)

Uraniumas

U238(mg/kg)

Radium228

(pCi/g)

Radium226

(pCi/g)

GrossBeta

(pCi/g)

GrossAlpha(pCi/g)Sample Description

Pelham, NH Groundwater

110731.43.3301184120800.51.7201191

Uranium(ug/l)

Uranium*(pCi/l)

Radium228

(pCi/l)

Radium226

(pCi/l)

GrossBeta

(pCi/l)

GrossAlphaless Rn

&U

(pCi/l)

GrossAlpha(pCi/l)

Post-Treatment Alpha Plus Beta Pelham, NH

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Influ

ent

Soften

erAnion

Exchan

geAcid

Neu

t./Cati

on Ex.

% R

emai

ning

Pelham, NH Radionuclides Fate9%

91%

Finished WaterLeach Field

15 pCi/L** Compliance Gross Alpha*

30 ug/L (approx 20 pCi/L)***Uranium

5 pCi/L Radium 226 + Radium 228

Proposed 300/4,000 pCi/L (CFR Nov. 1999)Radon

EPA StandardsTest Name

*Compliance gross alpha equals the concentration of analytical gross alphaminus the concentration of Uranium

** pCi/L (picocuries per liter) *** micrograms per liter (ug/L) can be converted to pCi/L by multiplying the

U (mg/L) by 0.67.

Conclusions

Radioactive species tend to associate with solids (soils, sediment)

Anion Exchange system very effective at removing radioactive species

Leach fields have an enormous capacity for radioactivity without reaching levels of concern

TENORM waste not moving in groundwater

Pumping strategies may impact radioactivity level from the well