Groundwater treatment technologies used to remove or contain radioactive contaminants found in the leachate plumes from waste storage sites at Chalk River Laboratories : a case study

Abstract

At Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) two remediation technologies are used on one shallow sand trench waste storage area and one abandoned and buried processing plant each containing contaminated groundwater plumes. The first technology is a funnel and gate permeable reactive barrier (PRB) to filter out strontium-90 from a contaminated groundwater plume and the second technology is a wall and curtain system installed near the site of an abandoned ammonium nitrate processing plant also used to remove strontium-90 from the groundwater. Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope that is readily taken up through water absorption and has the capability of travelling long distances through groundwater. This case study used trends in analysis results and comparisons with other reports and literature regarding the use of PRBs to assess the two in use at CRL and make recommendations for improvements to the systems.