ML19347D482
| ML19347D482 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wood River Junction |
| Issue date: | 10/31/1980 |
| From: | Dan Warner DON L. WARNER, INC. |
| To: | Crow W, Shum E NRC |
| References | |
| 17799, NUDOCS 8103260099 | |
| Download: ML19347D482 (6) | |
Text
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1 Mn Memorandum To:
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T 3 1980 o Edward Shu ARC
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From: Don L. Warner Consulting Geological Engineer e
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Subject:
Sumary of Meeting of October 28,
, concerning ground water contamiration at United Nuclear Corporation site.
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Attendees:
Carlton A. Maine, Rhode Island Del DOCK 5TED Pearce Klazer, Rhode Island DE!
USNRC S
Robert P. Calise, Rhode Island KRB Karl A. Helgeson UNC D
?!G V 1 2 E 0 > O; Steven Pennacchini UNC NMss Michael Powers Goldberg-Zoino 4 Assoc.
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'b I told the group that I was there to determine some of the details of the concerns of the State that were not entirely. clear to me from the information supplied by the NRC.
I also wanted coments on what the State hoped to get as a response to some of these concerns.
A general response was that a series of recomendations had recently been prepared by the DBI, NRB, and USGS for specific actions t. it they would like to see implemented at the,UNC plant site and that these recomendations have been sent to the Governor's Office. Those recom-mendations have not yet, however, been sent to the NRC by the Governor's 0ffice and they could be modified by that office.
It was then discussed that the first major recomendation, which is for a deep well near the lagoons doesn't contain all of the necessary technical specifications.
It was aweed that each involved party (WRB, DB1, USGS, and NRC) would submit its require.nents for the well and that UNC's ground water. con-sultant will integrate these into a set of specifications to be reviewed and agreed to by all before construction of the well. UNC has, within certain depth and/or cost restrictions agreed to have this well constructed.
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Crew G Shtn October 31, 1980 Page Thu The second major recocnendatica calls for the construction of t:.u ad-ditional new wells to be located in the contaninant pitne as close as possible to the Pawtucket River. Eese wells would be intended to provide evidence that the ground water ccataninants present under the tr:C 'ite are being transported to the river. The wells would also be usefti, for ncnitoring any future changes in the shape of the conta tinant p1tre that r.ight result fres pc : ping from the aquifer en the nortiuest side of the river. At this time, USC has not agreed to construct these tw wells.
With regard to the varicus questions posed earlier by the State to hTC and which NRC has in turn posed to te, UNC's consultant, Goldberg-Icino 4 Assoc., has prepared a st==ary of data and evaluation of sene of those questicas.
His two-volume report will be supplied to me, upon approval of the U';C manage =ent.
Herb Johnston cc: rented that the USGS is pretty well cccnitted to further detailed study of the site, although fornal approval cay take a scath or two.
In the interim, he and Ken Kipp of the Denver research office will probably proceed on the basis that the study will be approved. At present, it is planned to do the additional field wrk necessary to provide data for modeling of contminant transport. One para =eter needed is determinaticn of the dis-tribution coefficients of the variougs cont r,inants tising samples from a bore-hole at the site. Tne samples wuld prest = ably come free the deep hole to be drilled by UNC. Re entim study is now being planned for three years,
.but it is possible that a preliminary modeling effort could be made early in the study to assist in providing the best estimate-that could now be =ade of the time required for cleanup of the aquifer. He question of migration under
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the river could probably also be addressed.
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.a STAT E OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS
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WATER RESOURCES BOARD
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265 Melrose Street pg,; jug;r,E,; m y ;1, rig P.O. Box 2772 Providence, R.1. 02907 September 23, 1980 Letter Code 53 Mr. Malcolm Grant Office of Policy and Program Review Executive Office State House Providence, Rhode Island 02902 -
Dear Mr. Grant:
As agreed at a meeting in the Governor's office on July 30, 1980, representatives of the Water Resources Board (WRB), Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) have met with representatives of the United ?!uclear Corpora-tion (UNC) to discuss the location of a deep well which UNC has agreed to have drilled at its plant in Charlestown. At this meeting, held in the offices of DEM on September 14, 1980, the locations and depths of additional wells needed to better define the vertical extent of groundwater contamination were also censidered.
Participants at the September 14th meeting were Robert B. Russ and Peter Calise (WRB), Carleton Maine and Pearce Klazer (DEM), Herbert E. Johnston (USGS), Robert Gregg and Carl Helgeson (UNC), and Mike Powers of Goldberg-Zoino Associates (hydrological consultant for l
UNC).
l Recomendations presented herein for the locations, depths and sampling of wells were prepared by rep *esentatives of the WRB, DEM, and USGS.
Mr. Gregg asked that it be made ~c? ear that participation of Ut!C in l
the September 14th meeting does not mean that UNC necessarily approves
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of, or agrees with, the recommendations.
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(continued)
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RECOMMENDATipNS 1.
Deep well near lagoons (a) The deep well which UNC has agreed to have drilled should be located about 200 feet northwes't of the lagoon area at the site of UNC monitoring well T-6.
Data from this well are expc ad to demonstrate whether a slow-moving front of contaminates groundwater exists in fine-grained sediment that occurs below the bottom of well T-6.
(b) The well should be drilled to bedrock or to relatively impermeable till which may directly overlay the bedrock sur-face. u n,
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(c) Sediment samples should be collected by the split-spoon sample method.
Samples should be collected at about 10-foot intervals, care being taken not to contaminate them with drilling fluid.
Suf ficient volume of sediment should be obtained to satisfy analytical needs o f DEM, UNC, NRC, and USGS.
The person pfeparing the drilling contract should contact C3rl Mair.e (DEM) Herb Johnston (USGS) and the NRC groundwater consultant for sample requirements.
(d) Water samples for laboratory analysis by DEM and USGS should be collected at about 10-foot intervals, using as small a screened interval as possible, until the botton of theplume of contaminated water has been penetrated.
It is l
suggested.that field analysis for specific conductance and nitrate be used to distinguish contaminated and uncontaminated water.
All water samples collected for laboratory analysis
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should be taken from the same depths from which sediment i
samples are taken.
Once figid analyses indicate the bottom l
of the plume has been penetrated, the samples may be collected at about 20 foot intervals.
If screened intervals below the apparent bottom of the plume yield water at a rate of less than one gallon per l
minute, only field analyses need be made for specific con-ductance and nitrate.
No samples need be collected for DEM L
and USGS.
i If no water can be obtained from screened intervals in fine-grained sediment that may be within the zone of con-ta mi na tio n, it is suggested that field analysis for specific conductance and nitrate be made on water squeezed from sediment samples (USGS obtained 10 to 15 ml of water per 6-in length of 1-in ciameter cores of silt from a well drilled on Nantucket Island usicg this method).,
The coa'.ract specialist should contact DEM, USGS, and NRC for information on the volume of samples and sample preserva-tion required for samples to be sent for laboratory analysis.
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RECOMMENDATIONS (continued)
(e) A permanent well screen or sa=pling point should be established below the bottom of well T-6 near the base of the plume of contaminated water.
If the bottom of the plume appears to be in fine-grained sediment, the screen should be set in the finest unit.
This will provide a means for monitoring movement of contaminants where water movement is slowest.
(f) The drill hole should be backf Died with relatively impermeable caterial to prevent short-circuiting of the ground-water flow system.
2.
Hells near south edce of river (a) A pair of monitoring wells -- one screened in the middle, one screened near the bottom, of the plune of con-taminated groundwater -- should be located as close as possib'.e to the southerly edge of the Pawcatuck River near the center (laterally) of the plume.
Sy monitoring water levels in the river, and water levels and water quality in these two wells, covement of con-taminants northward beneath the river can be detected.
Water level data in USGS files indicate that all groundwater now flowing northwestward from the lagoon area discharges to the river.
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(b) Available data suggest that the approximate center of the plume may be encountered by a well drilled about 50 feet upstream from the point where a northwest-south:::t trending trail that passes UNC monitoring well 77-C-i meets the river.
(c) The first well drilled should be sampled a t about 10-foot intervals so as to define the approximate top, middle and bottom
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of the plu=e.
A permanent screen should be installed in this well near the bottom of the plume.
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(d) The second well should be drilled a few feet from th'e first well and screened near the middle of the plume.
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(e) A detailed lithologi.c log of the deeper well should be prepared and sediment samples recovered from this well during its constructi.on should be retained by UNC for possible later use by DEM, NRC or USGS.
Split spoon samples would be desirable, but are not essential.
3.
Wells north of the river Because groundwater now flows frc= north to south into the river, =enitoring wells on the northerly side of the river are not considered necessary at this time.
If and when large withdrawals are made from wells north of the river, a monitoring well on the north side of the river may be needed.
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- 53 RECOMMEtiDATIO!is (continued)
A groundwa ter flow model of the Lower Wood River ground-water reservoir, which encompasses the UttC plant area, has been prepared by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Phode Island, under the supervision of Professor William E. Kelly, Professor Kelly has advised Herb Johnston that this model can be used to predict whether contaminant movement beneath the river is likely under one or more schemes of groundwater development that may occur in the future.
The above recocmendations should be forwarded to the tiRC and its grcund-v.ater consultants for any additional recorrcendations they may deem appropriate regarding the grcundwater investigations.
Very truly yours, g[ h /% f c). A n r
Robert B. Russ General Manager Water Rescurces Board h kgz,%
Carleton Maine Assistant tirector for Regulation Depart:r,ent of Environmental Management Herbert E. John son Chief, Rhcde Island Subdistrict U. S. Geological Survey
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