Groundwater Monitoring
Groundwater is monitored at Hanford to determine the nature and extent of
contamination from Hanford operations. Groundwater under the Hanford Site
has been contaminated through discharge or storage of liquid waste in cribs,
ditches, trenches, ponds, and tanks. Currently, approximately 207 square
kilometers (80 square miles) of groundwater have contamination levels that
exceed drinking water standards. The contaminated groundwater is not in
our drinking water system, but portions have reached the Columbia River.
The Groundwater Performance Assessment
Project provides an integrated approach
for all groundwater monitoring activities at the Hanford Site. The scope
of work includes all aspects needed to manage, integrate, and implement
the groundwater monitoring requirements for the entire Hanford Site. Specifically,
groundwater monitoring includes the following activities:
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Understanding contaminant release, distribution, and transport
are critical to determining interim and final solutions for contaminants on
the Hanford Site, their impact to human health and the environment, and the
decisions to be made for managing remediation and long term stewardship. The
Science & Technology Project helps provide this critical information.
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Monitor treatment, storage, and disposal units and other site facilities
under RCRA regulation to determine if the facility has affected groundwater quality. Assess the nature and extent of contamination from RCRA treatment,
storage, and disposal units that is known to have affected groundwater quality. Assess the groundwater within CERCLA groundwater operable units to
determine the type and extent of the contamination, so a record of decision for remediation
of the groundwater can be prepared. Assess the effectiveness of groundwater remedial actions. Deploy, evaluate, and implement innovative techniques (field methods
and evaluation processes) to enhance groundwater monitoring. Maintain and upgrade the Hanford seismic monitoring network. Maintain and upgrade the Hanford Site-wide Groundwater Model. Publish an annual report of the results. The report can be accessed
at http://www.hanford.gov/cp/gpp/library/gwrep07/start.htm.
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