AES projects

Fact Sheet: Integrated Ground-Water Monitoring, Thomas Nicholson (NRC/RES/DSARE/RPERWMB)

Integrated Monitoring Strategy logic showing relationships among various performance assessment indicators and monitoring locations, timing, devices and measurements.

Background: For site stewardship, protection of ground water is a key technical issue, and research needs to focus on monitoring and model confirmation related to ground-water contaminant transport. An important technical objective is the development and testing of ground-water monitoring strategies to understand the selection, placement and calibration of field devices and methods. A major research need is the integration of monitoring with performance assessment (PA) modeling.

Overview: The objective of this project is to develop an integrated ground-water monitoring strategy that supports confirmation of PA models, and addresses existing site characterization, compliance and detection monitoring needs. The coupling of monitoring to PA will be through the use of performance indicators (i.e., measurable quantities related to system behavior). The strategy will be robust and useful for designing site and facility-specific ground-water monitoring programs to:

Ų assess the effectiveness of contaminant isolation systems and remediation activities,

Ų communicate the monitored performance indicators through effective data management, analysis, and visualization techniques to decision makers and stakeholders,

Ų identify the presence of contaminant plumes and preferential groundwater transport pathways,

Ų test alternative conceptual flow and transport models,

Ų aid in the confirmation of the assumptions of the PA model, and hence the performance of the facility through increased confidence in the PA, and

Ų help identify and quantify uncertainties.

Approach: The research will formulate and document a comprehensive and systematic ground-water monitoring strategy. The documented strategy will provide the technical bases with citable references and identified guidance and analytical tools for assessing the completeness of an integrated ground-water monitoring program. The strategy will also focus on quantifying uncertainties of the hydrologic features, events and processes using the real-time, near-continuous monitoring data for confirmation of the PA analysis. The strategy will link the ground-water monitoring program to the detection level required for early warning of releases. The RES contractor, Advanced Environmental Solutions, LLC (AES), has examined the state-of-the-practice in ground-water monitoring of radionuclides for confirming PA models, and presented their research objectives at a conference on subsurface monitoring and modeling sponsored by the National Ground-Water Association. Incorporating peer-review comments and obtained information, AES is developing an integrated monitoring strategy that will be tested using field data. "Real‑time" monitoring data will be selected and analyzed to evaluate ground‑water flow and transport modeling assumptions within the PA models. The tested strategy is being designed for application to both unsaturated and saturated zone systems. In documenting the strategy, AES will outline the logic for selecting the appropriate sensor and geophysical technologies, monitoring location and timing, and analysis methods for confirming the PA models and their assumptions. The tools and technical bases developed will emphasize relevancy to decommissioning and waste facilities.

Products: A tested and peer-reviewed methodology documented as a NUREG/CR report and posted as a pdf file on the public NRC web site. Technology transfer workshop on the methodology with test case applications will be conducted.

Federal Agency Coordination: This research is being coordinated with other Federal Agencies e.g., EPA and DOE.

Program Management Contacts:

Thomas Nicholson, NRC Project Manager at TJN@NRC.GOV and telephone: 301-415-6268

Van Price, AES Principal Investigator at vprice@advenvsoln.com and telephone: 803-951-8470