300 Area Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFRC) Field Site Management Plan

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has established the 300 Area Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (300 Area IFRC) on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) within the Office of Science. The project is funded by the Environmental Remediation Sciences Division (ERSD). The purpose of the project is to conduct research at the 300 IFRC to investigate multi-scale mass transfer processes associated with a subsurface uranium plume impacting both the vadose zone and groundwater. The management approach for the 300 Area IFRC requires that a Field Site Management Plan be developed. This is an update of the plan to reflect the installation of the well network and other changes

Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management: Development and Demonstrations (12532)

ABSTRACT The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), Technology Innovation and Development is supporting development of the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM). ASCEM is a state-of-the-art scientific tool and approach for understanding and predicting contaminant fate and transport in natural and engineered systems. The modular and open source high-performance computing tool facilitates integrated approaches to modeling and site characterization that enable robust and standardized assessments of performance and risk for EM cleanup and closure activities. The ASCEM project continues to make significant progress in development of capabilities, which are organized into Platform and Integrated Toolsets and a High-Performance Computing Multiprocess Simulator. The Platform capabilities target a level of functionality to allow end-toend model development, starting with definition of the conceptual model and management of data for model input. The High-Performance Computing capabilities target increased functionality of process model representations, toolsets for interaction with Platform, and verification and model confidence testing. The new capabilities are demonstrated through working groups, including one focused on the Hanford Site Deep Vadose Zone

Updated Conceptual Model for the 300 Area Uranium Groundwater Plume

The 300 Area uranium groundwater plume in the 300-FF-5 Operable Unit is residual from past discharge of nuclear fuel fabrication wastes to a number of liquid (and solid) disposal sites. The source zones in the disposal sites were remediated by excavation and backfilled to grade, but sorbed uranium remains in deeper, unexcavated vadose zone sediments. In spite of source term removal, the groundwater plume has shown remarkable persistence, with concentrations exceeding the drinking water standard over an area of approximately 1 km2. The plume resides within a coupled vadose zone, groundwater, river zone system of immense complexity and scale. Interactions between geologic structure, the hydrologic system driven by the Columbia River, groundwater-river exchange points, and the geochemistry of uranium contribute to persistence of the plume. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently completed a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to document characterization of the 300 Area uranium plume and plan for beginning to implement proposed remedial actions. As part of the RI/FS document, a conceptual model was developed that integrates knowledge of the hydrogeologic and geochemical properties of the 300 Area and controlling processes to yield an understanding of how the system behaves and the variables that control it. Recent results from the Hanford Integrated Field Research Challenge site and the Subsurface Biogeochemistry Scientific Focus Area Project funded by the DOE Office of Science were used to update the conceptual model and provide an assessment of key factors controlling plume persistence

Multi-Scale Mass Transfer Processes Controlling Natural Attenuation and Engineered Remediation: An IFRC Focused on Hanford?s 300 Area Uranium Plume January 2010 to January 2011

The Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) at the Hanford Site 300 Area uranium (U) plume addresses multi-scale mass transfer processes in a complex subsurface biogeochemical setting where groundwater and riverwater interact. A series of forefront science questions on reactive mass transfer motivates research. These questions relate to the effect of spatial heterogeneities; the importance of scale; coupled interactions between biogeochemical, hydrologic, and mass transfer processes; and measurements and approaches needed to characterize and model a mass-transfer dominated biogeochemical system. The project was initiated in February 2007, with CY 2007, CY 2008, CY 2009, and CY 2010 progress summarized in preceding reports. A project peer review was held in March 2010, and the IFRC project acted upon all suggestions and recommendations made in consequence by reviewers and SBR/DOE. These responses have included the development of 'Modeling' and 'Well-Field Mitigation' plans that are now posted on the Hanford IFRC web-site, and modifications to the IFRC well-field completed in CY 2011. The site has 35 instrumented wells, and an extensive monitoring system. It includes a deep borehole for microbiologic and biogeochemical research that sampled the entire thickness of the unconfined 300 A aquifer. Significant, impactful progress has been made in CY 2011 including: (i) well modifications to eliminate well-bore flows, (ii) hydrologic testing of the modified well-field and upper aquifer, (iii) geophysical monitoring of winter precipitation infiltration through the U-contaminated vadose zone and spring river water intrusion to the IFRC, (iv) injection experimentation to probe the lower vadose zone and to evaluate the transport behavior of high U concentrations, (v) extended passive monitoring during the period of water table rise and fall, and (vi) collaborative down-hole experimentation with the PNNL SFA on the biogeochemistry of the 300 A Hanford-Ringold contact and the underlying redox transition zone. The modified well-field has functioned superbly without any evidence for well-bore flows. Beyond these experimental efforts, our site-wide reactive transport models (PFLOTRAN and eSTOMP) have been updated to include site geostatistical models of both hydrologic properties and adsorbed U distribution; and new hydrologic characterization measurements of the upper aquifer. These increasingly robust models are being used to simulate past and recent U desorption-adsorption experiments performed under different hydrologic conditions, and heuristic modeling to understand the complex functioning of the smear zone. We continued efforts to assimilate geophysical logging and 3D ERT characterization data into our site wide geophysical model, with significant and positive progress in 2011 that will enable publication in 2012. Our increasingly comprehensive field experimental results and robust reactive transport simulators, along with the field and laboratory characterization, are leading to a new conceptual model of U(VI) flow and transport in the IFRC footprint and the 300 Area in general, and insights on the microbiological community and associated biogeochemical processes influencing N, S, C, Mn, and Fe. Collectively these findings and higher scale models are providing a unique and unparalleled system-scale understanding of the biogeochemical function of the groundwater-river interaction zone

Scientific Opportunities for Monitoring at Environmental Remediation Sites (SOMERS): Integrated Systems-Based Approaches to Monitoring

Through an inter-disciplinary effort, DOE is addressing a need to advance monitoring approaches from sole reliance on cost- and labor-intensive point-source monitoring to integrated systems-based approaches such as flux-based approaches and the use of early indicator parameters. Key objectives include identifying current scientific, technical and implementation opportunities and challenges, prioritizing science and technology strategies to meet current needs within the DOE complex for the most challenging environments, and developing an integrated and risk-informed monitoring framework

Scientific Opportunities for Monitoring of Environmental Remediation Sites (SOMERS) - 12224

ABSTRACT The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for risk reduction and cleanup of its nuclear weapons complex. DOE maintains the largest cleanup program in the world, currently spanning over a million acres in 13 states. The inventory of contaminated materials includes 90 million gallons of radioactive waste, 6.4 trillion liters of groundwater, and 40 million cubic meters of soil and debris. It is not feasible to completely restore many sites to predisposal conditions. Any contamination left in place will require monitoring, engineering controls and/or land use restrictions to protect human health and environment. Research and development efforts to date have focused on improving characterization and remediation. Yet, monitoring will result in the largest life-cycle costs and will be critical to improving performance and protection. Through an inter-disciplinary effort, DOE is addressing a need to advance monitoring approaches from sole reliance on cost-and labor-intensive point-source monitoring to integrated systems-based approaches such as flux-based approaches and the use of early indicator parameters. Key objectives include identifying current scientific, technical and implementation opportunities and challenges, prioritizing science and technology strategies to meet current needs within the DOE complex for the most challenging environments, and developing an integrated and risk-informed monitoring framework

300 Area Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFRC) Field Site Management Plan

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has established the 300 Area Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (300 Area IFRC) on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) within the Office of Science. The project is funded by the Environmental Remediation Sciences Division (ERSD). The purpose of the project is to conduct research at the 300 IFRC to investigate multi-scale mass transfer processes associated with a subsurface uranium plume impacting both the vadose zone and groundwater. The management approach for the 300 Area IFRC requires that a Field Site Management Plan be developed. This is an update of the plan to reflect the installation of the well network and other changes

Environmental Solutions FY05: PNNL Contributions to U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy's mission is to protect the Columbia River, a vital regional asset, and the public in cities and towns near the Site. To make decisions and comply with a complex system of regulations, DOE needs reliable, accurate data about the Site. Where are the contaminants now? At what concentrations? What impact do the contaminants have on people that work on the Site and live nearby? To answer these questions and others, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists collect and analyze thousands of soil, groundwater, surface water, plant, and animal samples. The results are then communicated to DOE through reports and conceptual models

Estimation of ground-water travel time at the Hanford Site: Description, past work, and future needs

The time for a contaminant to travel from a source to the biosphere is only one component of evaluating the consequences of ground-water contamination in the unconfined aquifer at the Hanford Site. The three components necessary for evaluating consequences of contamination are the location of contaminant outflow to the biosphere, the time of contaminant arrival at the outflow location, and the quantity of contaminants reaching the outflow location. This report focuses on one component, the contaminant arrival time or travel time, because variations in estimates of this parameter at the Hanford Site have generated considerable interest. 58 refs., 21 figs., 8 tabs