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Content archived on 2024-05-07

Radionuclide contamination of soils and groundwater at lake Karachai waste disposal site (Russia) and the Chernobyl accident site (Ukraine) : field analysis and modeling study

Objective


Foreseen Results

Existing numerical codes for the simulation of groundwater flow and transportin porous media will be used and enhanced to include consideration of the specific chemical and physical reactive processes relevant to the two sites, and to more general problems of radionuclinde contamination of groundwater. The models will be integrated into an easy-to-use information management framework that will include the site data and other analysis tools such as geographic information systems. The models will be tested and calibrated on the basis of available field and laboratory data, and they will be applied to the Lake Karachai and Chernobyl sites to provide the contaminant prediction and to address such important issues as the evaluation of groundwater quality and the implementation of remedial measures.
Leakage from Lake Karachai in South Ural (Russia) that was operated since the 1950s as a storage reservoir for medium level radioactive liquid wastes, has formed a subsurface contamination plume and presents a severe threat to the environment. The plume has been observed to be moving towards local areas of groundwater discharge, potentially contaminating springs and sources of drinking water with radionuclide releases. The Lake Karachai waste disposal site, to be studied in the project being proposed, in one of the most radioactively contaminated sites in the world, and special water protection and remediation need to be urgently implemented.

Atmospheric fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 caused radioactive contamination of large areas. Significant levels of contamination have been observed not only in the Ukraine, but also in Russia and Belorussia. The second study site in the proposed research is located in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At this site groundwater is the main source of water supply. Assessing and predicting radionuclide migration and designing adequate remedial responses are of utmost importance in protecting these local water supplies.

In the proposed research the major processes controlling the spreading and fate of nuclear contaminants released into soil and groundwater as a result of accidents or intentional waste disposal will be studied. The project will couple field investigation, theoretical research, and mathematical modeling in order to develop a comprehensive methodology for the study of nuclear waste contamination and remediation.

Previous field investigations and the monitoring system in place at the Lake Karachai and Chernobyl contamination sites will provide an essential information basis for the proposed study. This information will be organized into a comprehensive database of hydrogeologic, hydrochemical, soil, water quality, and climatic data for each of the sites.

Mathematical models that describe groundwater flow and reactive transport will be used to help predict the migration and fate of contaminants and to evaluate the effectiveness of pollutant containment and aquifer/soil restoration measures.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Università degli Studi di Padova
EU contribution
No data
Address
7,Belzoni
35131 Padova
Italy

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Total cost

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Participants (4)

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