HR: 0830h
AN: H31B-0472    [PDF]
TI: INEEL Vadose Zone Research Park
AU: * Heath, G
EM: heatgl@ineel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AU: Hull, L
EM: hulllc@inel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AU: Ansley, S
EM: ans@inel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AU: Versteeg, R
EM: versrj@inel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AU: Scott, C
EM: scotcl@inel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AU: Street, L
EM: lst@inel.gov
AF: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, Idaho Falls, Id. 83415 United States
AB: The Vadose Zone Research Park was developed to address mission critical issues related to operations, waste management, and environmental restoration at U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites that are located over thick vadose zones. The research park provides instrumentation and facilities for scientists to address vadose zone processes that are important in assessing operational activities, remedial measures, and long-term stewardship of DOE lands. The park, at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), is strategically located along the Big Lost River, an intermittent river, and around two new percolation ponds. This location provides the opportunity to study variable recharge from the river, continuous recharge from the ponds, and the interactions between the two sources. Drilling began in September 2000 and was completed in June 2001. Thirty one wells and instrumented boreholes have been installed at the park to monitor perched water, measure moisture movement, collect water and gas samples, and study intra-well geophysical properties. Nine of the boreholes, ranging in depth from 150 ft to 504 ft below land surface (bls), are instrumented to monitor moisture in the vadose zone. Instruments include: tensiometers, moisture content sensors, suction lysimeters, temperature sensors, gas ports and electrodes for electrical resistance tomography. Electrodes are evenly spaced throughout the borehole with hydrologic instruments concentrated in and near the sedimentary interbeds-discontinuous layers of silts and clays that occur between some basalt flows. Eighteen monitoring wells, ranging in depth from 60 ft to 250 ft bls, are completed with 4 or 6 inch PVC casing, and generally include an electrical resistivity electrode array attached to the casing. Three bore holes are constructed for testing cross-hole ground penetrating radar as well as for testing new nuclear logging tools being designed at the INEEL. The remaining borehole contains only an electrical resistivity electrode array. Moisture potential, temperature, and water level data are collected automatically by data loggers and transmitted by radio to a computer linked to the INEEL network. Researchers can view the data via the computer network. We are initiating studies of in-situ moisture content - matric potential curves, relative migration rates of sodium and chloride, development of preferred flow paths through the vadose zone, and imaging of background moisture movement using electrical resistivity tomography. Data collection, processing and imagery will all be automated. Imaging of all data types will be draped over the geology for correlation purposes.
DE: 1719 Hydrology
DE: 1894 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting