An assessment of drinking-water supplies on the Hanford site: an evaluation conducted at a federal nuclear facility in southeastern Washington state.
Drinking water is supplied to most U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities on the Hanford Site by DOE-owned, contractor-operated pumping and distribution systems. Water is primarily obtained from the Columbia River, but some facilities use water from on-site groundwater wells. Because of the large amount of radioactive and chemical waste produced, stored, and disposed of at Hanford, some people are concerned that waste materials are contaminating on-site drinking-water supplies. This paper describes the drinking-water facilities and treatment requirements on the Hanford Site and summarizes radiological and non-radiological water quality data obtained from water samples collected from each drinking-water system in use during 2001 and 2002. Monitoring data show that Hanford-produced radionuclides are measurable in some drinking-water samples. The only non-radiological contaminants detected either were by-products of the chlorination process or came from off-site agricultural activities. Contaminant level values were, in all cases, below state and federal drinking-water limits. This information will provide assurance to current employees and future site developers that drinking water on the Hanford Site is safe for public consumption.
Hanf
R William
RW
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA. bill.hanf@pnl.gov
Kelly
Lynn M
LM
D000383:Agriculture; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D014861:Washington; D018505:Waste Management; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards*
D011850:Radioactive Waste; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive