200-BP-1 Prototype Hanford Barrier Annual Monitoring Report for Fiscal Year 2004
Description:
In FY 2004, monitoring of the prototype Hanford barrier focused on barrier stability, vegetative cover, evidence of plant and animal intrusion, and the main components of the water balance. Monitored water-balance components included precipitation, runoff, storage, drainage, and deep percolation. Precipitation in FY 2004 was 26 percent less than in FY 2003 but was still higher than normal. The seasonal distribution in precipitation was also different from the previous year with a 43 percent reduction in spring precipitation and a 46 percent increase in summer precipitation. The cumulative amount of water received from October 1994, through September 2004, was 2,559.58 mm on the northern half of the barrier, which is the formerly irrigated treatment, and 1,886.71 mm on the southern non-irrigated treatments. Water storage continued to show a cyclic pattern, increasing in the winter and declining in the spring and summer to a lower limit of about 100 mm in response to evapotranspiration. The 600-mm design storage has never been exceeded. Total drainage from the soil-covered plots range from 2.9E-4 mm to 0.22 mm or 0.003 6 0.004 percent of precipitation. Side-slope drainage was much higher at 20.9 6 2.3 percent of precipitation from the gravel and 18.6 6 5.1 percent from the riprap. There was no runoff from the barrier, but runoff from the BY tank farm following a thunderstorm in May eroded a 45-inch-deep channel into the structural fill at the toe of the riprap slope. Above-asphalt and below-asphalt moisture measurements show no evidence of deep percolation of water. Topographic surveys were conducted on the barrier surface, including the two settlement gauges and 12 creep gauges on the riprap slope using aerial photogrammetry (AP) and a global positioning system (GPS). Comparing the aerial photogrammetry (AP) and global positioning system (GPS) surveys with the traditional survey shows the barrier …
Date:
January 3, 2005
Creator:
Ward, Andy L.; Linville, Jenifer K.; Keller, Jason M. & Seedahmed, Gamal H.
Partner:
UNT Libraries Government Documents Department