Hydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming (ver. 1.1, January 2019)

Start Date

2016-06-27

End Date

2017-09-30

Publication Date

2018-02-12

Revision

2019-01-30

Naftz, D.L., Fuller, C.C., Runkel, R.L., Briggs, M.A., Solder, J.E., Cain, D.J., Short, T.M., Gardner, W.P., Byrne, P.A., Terry, N., and Gobel, D., 2019, Hydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming (ver. 1.1, January 2019): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BR8QX4.

Type: Related Primary Publication

Renewed interest in nuclear energy has led to re-examination of domestic uranium resources. Part of this re-examination requires consideration of environmental health effects resulting from the uranium resource development life cycle. This includes the need to develop and provide scalable information on the potential effects of mining and processing activities on biological receptors. One approach for obtaining scalable and transferable information is the development of study sites at legacy uranium mining and milling sites that exist in the United States as part of DOE’s Office of Legacy Management. Legacy sites serve as long-term experiments that permit examination of processes controlling mobility and bioaccumulation of contaminants in the environment. Locations where legacy groundwater plumes containing elevated uranium concentrations interact with perennial streams and the associated biological receptors offer a unique natural laboratory to increase our understanding of these processes. The Riverton, Wyoming, Processing Site has many characteristics that may provide scalable information on the potential effects of uranium mining and processing activities on biological receptors. These site characteristics include: (1) representative of numerous uranium plumes that are significantly influenced by groundwater-river interactions in the western United States; (2) site-specific monitoring data indicating that the site might not meet the 100-year regulatory time frame for groundwater compliance; (3) riparian zones along the Little Wind River that provide opportunities to study health impacts on biological receptors; (4) DOE, tribal, and state interest for a better understanding of short- and long-term processes impacting uranium transport at the site; and (5) close proximity of the site to the USGS Riverton field office for cost effective logistical, laboratory, and technician support of research and monitoring activities.

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