RADIOACTIVE-WASTE DRUMS IN THE GUL 



LLONES 



12345'W 12330' 

 3825'N MF5T [ 



123 D 00' 



12230' 



20 MILES 

 I 



20 KILOMETERS 



3800' 



Gulf of Farallones 



Nutioitiit Miiriiw Sam lii<ir\ 



3730' 



3700' 



I' ION 1:1 A' 



si-:,\MOi'.\i 



San 

 Francisco 



GUIDE 



SI'AMOl ,\l 



3645' 



EXPLANATION 



Gulf of the Farallones National 

 Marine Sanctuary 



Farallon Islands Radioactive Waste 

 Dump (FIRWD) 



Designated sites for dumping of 

 radioactive waste used from 1 946 

 to 1970 



Area enlarged in image at upper right 





12215' 



H&Q 



M:^' 



55-gallon containers 



About 47,800 containers of low-level radioactive waste, 

 mostly 55-gallon drums, were dumped in the Gulf of the Faral- 

 lones from 1946 to 1970. These containers were to be dumped 

 at the three designated sites (small stars) shown on the 

 map at left. However, many containers were not dropped on 

 target, probably because of inclement weather and naviga- 

 tional uncertainties, and lie scattered over an area of the sea 

 floor commonly called the "Farallon Islands Radioactive Waste 

 Dump." An enlargement (above) of the area around one of the 

 designated sites (large star) shows locations of probable radio- 

 active-waste drums detected by the U.S. Geological Survey, 

 superimposed on a sidescan-sonar mosaic. 



These images show 55-gallon drums thought 

 to contain low-level radioactive waste on the 

 Continental Slope in the Gulf of the Farallones. 

 A corroded drum (top), with a large fish 

 resting next to it, was photographed in the 

 early 1990's using a U.S. Geological Survey 

 underwater-camera/video sled. An intact drum 

 (bottom) was photographed in 1974 on a sub- 

 mersible dive sponsored by the Environmental 

 Protection Agency. 



Search for Containers of Radioactive Waste on the Sea Floor 67 



