Evaluation of Radionuclide Mobilization and Redistribution during Playa Lake Formation on the Frenchman Flat Playa, Nevada Nuclear Security Site

An array of programs has been investigating the environmental impacts of nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site since 1973. Because of above-ground testing in the 1950s, ground surface contamination on surface soils and neutron activation of nearby soil and materials has occurred from atmospheric deposition. Other concerns include redistribution of surface-deposited radionuclides by runoff, infiltration, wind, and other mechanical means. The goal of this study is to identify the potential for radionuclide mobilization and redistribution by chemical reactions during sporadic flooding of the Frenchman Flat Playa. Radionuclide mobility is dependent on a number of factors and might occur when the playa becomes flooded. Several geochemical processes that could mobilize and redistribute radionuclides include dissolution of playa minerals, precipitation of new minerals in different locations, sorption of radionuclides onto suspended or colloidal materials, and infiltration of soluble radionuclides to the subsurface environment. Following the heavy winter precipitation that flooded the playa in 2010 and 2011, playa-lake water samples were collected from easily accessed locations and analyzed for major ions, TDS, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and radionuclides; suspended/precipitated materials were characterized by XRD; and, water-soil geochemical reactions were modeled. The geochemical software PHREEQC was used to model the soil-water evolution of the playa-lake water over time. Inputs to model simulations include precipitation chemistry, major-ion chemistry from water samples, mineralogy from XRD analysis of sediments, and radionuclides from spectroscopic measurements or literature values. Model simulations were constructed in a series of steps so that important water-soil chemical reactions could be determined and the changes in the playa water chemistry quantified as a result of these reactions. As the sequence of steps is taken, the simulations become progressively more complex as more chemical reactions are incorporated into the model. Initial results show that evaporation and equilibration of PCO2 and calcite with atmospheric conditions, do not adequately characterize the actual changes in water chemistry so additional water-soil interactions are required. Radionuclide sorption will also be incorporated into the simulations.