Assessment of Ground-Water Flow Near the Savannah River Site, Georgia and South Carolina

Cooperator: U.S. Department of Energy
Year Started: 2002

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) has manufactured nuclear materials for the National defense since the early 1950s. A variety of hazardous materials including radionuclides, volatile organic compounds, and trace metals, are either disposed of or stored at several locations at the SRS. As a result, contamination of ground water has been detected at several locations within the site and concern has been raised over the possible migration of water-borne contaminants offsite. Two issues have been raised:

1. is ground water flowing from the SRS and beneath the Savannah River into Georgia; and
2. under what pumping scenarios could such ground-water movement occur?

To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, conducted a comprehensive study during 1991-97 that simulated ground-water flow and stream-aquifer relations in the vicinity of the SRS. These ground-water simulations are limited by simplification of the conceptual model, which was based on available data through 1992. Large increases in ground-water pumping in Burke and Screven Counties, Georgia, since 1992, and a pronounced drought during 1998-2002 may have changed hydraulic gradients near the river and affected the potential for trans-river flow. To provide a more accurate and up-to-date evaluation of trans-river flow near the SRS, the earlier model is being updated to incorporate new data and simulate 2002 conditions. The revised model will be used to simulate a variety of water-management scenarios that could impact trans-river flow in the SRS area.

Objectives

• Update the previously developed ground-water flow model to better define present-day (2002) ground-water flowpaths near SRS.
• Utilize the 2002 calibrated model to identify ground-water flowpaths and quantitatively describe current ground-water flowpaths near SRS under a variety of hypothetical pumping scenarios.

Simulation of ground-water flow and stream-aquifer relations in the vicinity of the Savannah River Site, Georgia and South Carolina, predevelopment through 1992
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4062, 134 p. Abstract

Ground-water levels, predevelopment ground-water flow, and stream-aquifer relations in the vicinity of the Savannah River Site, GA and SC
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 97-4197, 120 p. Abstract

Ground-water flow study in the vicinity of the Savannah River Site, South Carolina and Georgia
U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-178-95, 4 p.

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