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
