title: Tritium activity concentrations and residence times of groundwater collected in Rokkasho, Japan.
abstract: Tritium ((3)H) concentrations were measured in groundwater samples from four surface wells (4-10 m deep), four shallow wells (24-26.5 m deep) and a 150-m-deep well in the Futamata River catchment area, which is adjacent to the large-scale commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Japan. The (3)H concentrations in most of the surface- and shallow-well samples (<0.03-0.57 Bq l(-1)) were similar to those in precipitation (annual mean: 0.31-0.79 Bq l(-1)), suggesting that the residence time of the water in those wells was 0-15 y. The (3)H concentrations in the samples from a 26-m-deep well and the 150-m-deep well were lower than those in the other wells, indicating that groundwater with a long residence time exists in deep aquifers and the estuary area of the catchment. It is not clear whether (3)H released during test operation of the plant with actual spent nuclear fuel affected the (3)H concentrations observed in this study.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212, Japan hhidenao@ies.or.jp.
authors.forename: Hidenao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan.
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akata
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kakiuchi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212, Japan.
authors.forename: Shun'ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hisamatsu
mesh_terms: D001417:Background Radiation; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D007564:Japan; D007700:Kinetics; D014316:Tritium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014316:Tritium