Pu AND Am IN SAVANNAH RIVER MARINE ENVIRONMENT 605 



STATE 



OF 



GEORGIA 



FRESHWATER 



STATE 



OF 



SOUTH CAROLINA 



FORT PULASKI 



BOTTOM HILTON HEAD 



NEAR MOUTH ViSLAND 

 5 



SAND 



SAVANNAH BEACH 



5 km 



ATLANTIC OCEAN 



Fig. 2 Map of the Savannah River estuary showing water and sediment sampling 

 locations. 



Sources of Transuranics 



The Savannah River receives transuranics by direct deposition of fallout from nuclear 

 weapons tests, watershed runoff, and discharges from nuclear facihties. In addition to 

 receiving the transuranics by deposition of fallout from nuclear weapons tests, watershed 

 runoff, and discharges from nuclear facilities, the estuary also receives transuranics from 

 the ocean via the movement of salt water some 35 km up the estuary. 



Estimates of the total amount of transuranics deposited on the watershed from 

 nuclear weapons tests are based on analyses of soil cores in the southeastern United 

 States. These estimates range from 1.5 to about 2.2 mCi/km^ with 2 3 8p^|23 9,24 0p^ 

 ratios of about 0.04 to 0.18 (McLendon, 1975). If fallout deposition is uniform over the 

 Savannah River watershed, then the inventory is approximately 55 Ci, of which about 

 1.5 Ci was deposited on the water impoundments. No americium data are available for 

 estimating its inventory in the southeastern United States. 



Data on plutonium releases from the SRP, located 256 km from the mouth of the 

 Savannah River, are available (Ashley and Zeigler, 1975). Atmospheric releases have 

 totaled about 3.7 Ci since fuel reprocessing operations began in 1954. Of the 3.7 Ci, 



