[en] Years of production of radioactive materials at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State has resulted in contamination of surface, subsurface, and surface water environments. Cleanup of the site has been aided by various tools, including computer software used to predict contaminant migration in the future and estimate subsequent impacts. The System Assessment Capability (SAC) is a total systems tool designed to simulate the movement of contaminants from all waste sites at Hanford through the vadose zone, the unconfined aquifer, and the Columbia River. Except for iodine-129, most of the contaminants modeled by SAC have acceptably matched field measurements. The two most likely reasons for the inconsistency between the measured field data and SAC modeled predictions are an underestimated inventory and an overestimated sorption value (Kd). Field data tend to be point measurements taken from near the surface of the unconfined aquifer. Thus, the depth of the iodine-129 contamination plume on the site is not well characterized. Geostatistical analyses of the measured data were conducted to determine the mass of iodine-129 for four assumed plume depths within the unconfined aquifer. Several simulations for two different Kd's using the initial SAC inventory were run to determine the effect of an overestimated sorption value on SAC modeled predictions. The initial SAC inventory was then increased for the two different Kd's to determine the influence of an underestimated inventory on SAC modeled predictions. It was found that evidence for both an underestimated inventory and for an overestimated sorption value for iodine-129 exist. These results suggest that the Kd for iodine-129 should be reevaluated and that a more complete inventory must be generated in order to more accurately model iodine-129 groundwater contamination plumes that match available field data

[en] This report briefly describes each of the key data fields, including the source(s) of data, and provides the resulting inputs to be used for the 2004 Composite Analysis. A master spreadsheet termed the Geographic and Operational Site Parameters List (GOSPL) was assembled to facilitate the generation of keyword input files containing general information on each waste site, its operational/disposal history, and its environmental settings (past, current, and future)

[en] The System Assessment Capability (SAC) is a suite of interrelated computer codes that provides the capability to conduct large-scale environmental assessments on the Hanford Site. Developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Department of Energy, SAC models the fate and transport of radioactive and chemical contaminants, starting with the inventory of those contaminants in waste sites, simulating transport through the environment, and continuing on through impacts to the environment and humans. Separate modules in the SAC address inventory, release from waste forms, water flow and mass transport in the vadose zone, water flow and mass transport in the groundwater, water flow and mass transport in the Columbia River, air transport, and human and ecological impacts. The SAC supports deterministic analyses as well as stochastic analyses using a Monte Carlo approach, enabling SAC users to examine the effect of uncertainties in a number of key parameters. The initial assessment performed with the SAC software identified a number of areas where both the software and the analysis approach could be improved. Since that time the following six major software upgrades have been made: (1) An air pathway model was added to support all-pathway analyses. (2) Models for releases from glass waste forms, buried graphite reactor cores, and buried naval reactor compartments were added. (3) An air-water dual-phase model was added to more accurately track the movement of volatile contaminants in the vadose zone. (4) The ability to run analyses was extended from 1,000 years to 10,000 years or longer after site closure. (5) The vadose zone flow and transport model was upgraded to support two-dimensional or three-dimensional analyses. (6) The ecological model and human risk models were upgraded so the concentrations of contaminants in food products consumed by humans are produced by the ecological model. This report documents the functions in the SAC software and provides a number of example applications for Hanford problems. References to theory documents and user guides are provided as well as links to a number of published data sets that support running analyses of interest to Hanford cleanup efforts.

[en] Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project validation studies using predicted activity concentrations of 131I on sagebrush showed a systematic underestimation against historical data during cold weather months, indicating a need for sagebrush model improvement. A deposition model for semi-volatile organic materials, including a temperature-dependent term based on an integrated van't Hoff equation, was adapted for gaseous iodine onto sagebrush. Calibration data for the model are obtained from a release of 131I in 1963. Modeling results for releases in 1946 show a good match between historical data and predicted results using the new model

[en] This data package documents the technical basis for selecting physical and geochemical parameters and input values that will be used in vadose zone modeling for Hanford assessments. This work was originally conducted as part of the Characterization of Systems Task of the Groundwater Remediation Project managed by Fluor Hanford, Inc., Richland, Washington, and revised as part of the Characterization of Systems Project managed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL). This data package describes the geologic framework, the physical, hydrologic, and contaminant transport properties of the geologic materials, and deep drainage (i.e., recharge) estimates, and builds on the general framework developed for the initial assessment conducted using the System Assessment Capability (SAC) (Bryce et al. 2002). The general approach for this work was to update and provide incremental improvements over the previous SAC data package completed in 2001. As with the previous SAC data package, much of the data and interpreted information were extracted from existing documents and databases. Every attempt was made to provide traceability to the original source(s) of the data or interpretations.

[en] DOE and PNNL are working to strengthen the technical defensibility of the groundwater flow and transport model at the Hanford Site and to incorporate uncertainty into the model. One aspect of the initiative is developing and using a three-dimensional transient inverse model to estimate the hydraulic conductivities, specific yields, and other parameters using data from Hanford since 1943. The focus of the alternative conceptual model (ACM-2) inverse modeling initiative documented in this report was to address limitations identified in the ACM-1 model, complete the facies-based approach for representing the hydraulic conductivity distribution in the Hanford and middle Ringold Formations, develop the approach and implementation methodology for generating multiple ACMs based on geostatistical data analysis, and develop an approach for inverse modeling of these stochastic ACMs. The primary modifications to ACM-2 transient inverse model include facies-based zonation of Units 1 (Hanford ) and 5 (middle Ringold); an improved approach for handling run-on recharge from upland areas based on watershed modeling results; an improved approach for representing artificial discharges from site operations; and minor changes to the geologic conceptual model. ACM-2 is the first attempt to fully incorporate the facies-based approach to represent the hydrogeologic structure. Further refinement and additional improvements to overall model fit will be realized during future inverse simulations of groundwater flow and transport. In addition, preliminary work was completed on an approach and implementation for generating an inverse modeling of stochastic ACMs. These techniques were applied to assess the uncertainty in the facies-based zonation of the Hanford formation and the geological structure of Ringold mud units. The geostatistical analysis used a preliminary interpretation of the facies-based zonation that was not consistent with that used in ACM-2. Although the overall objective of this task is to assess uncertainty based on the most current model (ACM-2), this preliminary work provided an effective basis for developing the approach and implementation methodology. A strategy was developed to facilitate inverse calibration analysis of the large number of stochastic ACMs generated. These stochastic ACMs are random selections from a range of possible model structures, all of which are consistent with available observations. However, a single inverse run requires many forward flow model runs, and full inverse analysis of the large number of combinations of stochastic alternative models is not now computationally feasible. Thus, a two-part approach was developed: (1) full inverse modeling of selected realizations combined with limited forward modeling and (2) implementation of the UCODE/CFEST inverse modeling framework to enhance computational capabilities

[en] The Hanford soil inventory model (SIM) provides the basic radionuclide and chemical soil inventories from historical liquid discharges to about 400 sites at the Hanford Site. Although liquid discharge inventory for chemicals is part of the SIM implementation, only radionuclide inventory is discussed here since the focus of this ECF is on providing radionuclides inputs for the composite analysis (CA) per DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, requirements. Furthermore, discharged inventories are only estimated for the soluble portions of the liquid discharges to waste sites/waste management areas located on the 200 Area of the Hanford Site (Central Plateau).

[en] Waste management and disposal decisions at the Hanford Site, Washington, depend in part on an understanding of the risks and impacts associated with alternate disposal and remedial actions. A proof-of-principle site-wide assessment of the risks and impacts associated with all wastes that will remain at the Hanford Site following cleanup has been performed for the first time. It simulates contaminant release, migration, and fate from today forward, and, thus, illustrates near-term influences on long-term risk and impact. A stochastic simulation tool capable of addressing 1000 waste discharge and disposal sites and 10 contaminants for a period of 1000 years has been created and applied. Human health and ecological risks as well as impacts to the regional economy and local cultures are estimated. The methodology developed is known as the System Assessment Capability (SAC). It is currently in a Revision 0 state corresponding to a proof-of-principle demonstration. An initial assessment based on the planning baseline of the U.S. Department of Energy (Richland Operations Office and Office of River Protection) has been undertaken. Preliminary results of the assessment indicate variability in predictions is most influence by uncertainty in: - geochemical adsorption (i.e., distribution coefficients) for contaminant release, vadose zone, and groundwater models; especially for uranium and iodine which are not greatly adsorbed, - solid waste burial ground inventories of iodine-129, and - liquid discharge site inventories of technetium-99. It is apparent that important variables that govern change in performance measures are a function of space and time. Initially, these results point to the need for related models and data to be examined, and, if necessary, augmented through future laboratory and field studies to better quantify or reduce uncertainty

[en] One activity of the Department of Energy's Groundwater/Vadose Zone Integration Project is an assessment of cumulative impacts from Hanford Site wastes on the subsurface environment and the Columbia River. Through the application of a system assessment capability (SAC), decisions for each cleanup and disposal action will be able to take into account the composite effect of other cleanup and disposal actions. The SAC has developed a suite of computer programs to simulate the migration of contaminants (analytes) present on the Hanford Site and to assess the potential impacts of the analytes, including dose to humans, socio-cultural impacts, economic impacts, and ecological impacts. The general approach to handling uncertainty in the SAC computer codes is a Monte Carlo approach. Conceptually, one generates a value for every stochastic parameter in the code (the entire sequence of modules from inventory through transport and impacts) and then executes the simulation, obtaining an output value, or result. This document provides user instructions for the SAC codes that handle inventory tracking, release of contaminants to the environment, and transport of contaminants through the unsaturated zone, saturated zone, and the Columbia River