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Vadose Zone Characterization System

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Tech ID: 2118
Project Overview
The Hanford Tanks Initiative Vadose Zone Characterization System includes improved technology for measuring contaminants that have leaked from the tanks to the groundwater.

Technology Description
 The technical approach for characterization of the contaminant plume at AX Tank Farm also uses current and alternative technologies. Initial screening information on the current distribution of gamma-emitting radionuclides in the surrounding soil will be obtained by down-hole spectral-gamma logging of the 31 dry wells in the AX Tank Farm. The spectra will be analyzed to establish a baseline for the vadose zone. Alternative technologies to conventional core drilling for characterization of the vadose zone that are fast, economical and minimize intrusion to the vadose zone will be developed for detailed plume mapping and quantification of the waste currently in the soil. The cone penetrometer deployment platform will be used to deploy multi-sensor probes and a sample retrieval system to determine the extent of contamination and to obtain samples for confirmatory analysis. The soil samples delivered to the laboratory will be subject to the analytical protocol prescribed in the AX-104 vadose zone data quality objectives and expressed in the sampling analysis plan for vadose zone characterization. Analytical data packages will be made available for incorporation into the revision of the AX-104 Tank Characterization Report.

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