Composition of Water in 

Clinch River, Tennessee River, 

And Whiteoak Creek as Related 

to Disposal of Low-Level 

Radioactive Liquid Wastes

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 433-J

Prepared in cooperation with the

U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Composition of Water in 

Clinch Riven Tennessee Riven 

And Whiteoak Creek as Related 

to Disposal of Low-Level 

Radioactive Liquid Wastes

By R. J. PICKERING

TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLI DBS BY STREAMS

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 433-J

Prepared in cooperation with the

U.S. Atomic ILnergy Commission and the

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1970
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

WALTER J. HIGKEL, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

William T. Pecora, Director

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 30 cents (paper cover)
CONTENTS

Abstract -. ____________________________________

Introduction__________________________

Acknowledgments _____________________________

Basis for the sampling program___________________

Chemical transport in streams____________

Evidence of transport of radionuclides in solution __

Evidence of transport of radionuclides in association

with suspended solids__________-_--__-___-_-_-

Location and operation of water-sampling stations______

Stable chemical composition of water______ ________

Clinch River water.___________________________

Page 

Jl

1

2

2

2

4

4

5

8

8

Stable chemical composition of water Continued

Whiteoak Creek water. 

Tennessee River water 

Constituent comparisons and interstation comparisons _ _____________ _____

Radiochemical composition of water. _________ __

Relationships between stable chemical composition and 

radionuclide content of the streams _____--_-_ -___

Conclusions __ ___ _ - -- 

References cited------ _______ __ ________

J9 

11

11

12

13

14

15

ILLUSTRATIONS

FIGURE 1. Map showing locations of water-sampling stations on the Clinch River and on Whiteoak Creek..

2. Map showing locations of water-sampling stations on the Tennessee River __ __

3. Graph showing history of sampling and analysis of water for Clinch River Study _

4. Graphs showing seasonal variations of selected constituents in Clinch River water at CRM 41.5-

Page 

J5

6

7

10

TABLES

TABLE 1. Locations of water-sampling stations..________________________ _. __________________

2. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Clinch River water ___________

3. Summary of analyses of composite samples of Clinch River water for trace and minor elements. _.

4. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Whiteoak Creek water _ ___.

5. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Tennessee River water ..

6. Radionuclide distribution between suspended solids and water phase at six water-sampling stationsPage 

J6

8

9

11

12

13

in

TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

COMPOSITION OF WATER IN CLINCH RIVER, TENNESSEE

RIVER, AND WHITEOAK CREEK AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL

OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE LIQUID WASTES

By R. J. PlCKERING

ABSTRACT

Low-level-radioactive wastes have been released to the Clinch 

Rive,r from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in eastern Tennessee since 1943, when the Laboratory first began processing 

radioactive materials. The fate of the radioactive wastes and 

the mechanisms by which the contained radionuclides are dispersed in the river have been investigated as part of the Clinch 

River Study, a multiagency effort to evaluate the present and 

future use of the river for the. disposal of such wastes. As one 

element of the study, the composition of water in the streams 

which receive the radioactive wastes has been characterized 

through an intensive program of water sampling.

Radioactive wastes from the Laboratory are released to 

Whiteoak Creek, which enters the Clinch River 20.8 miles upstream from where the Clinch River joins the Tennessee River. 

Samples of water from the three streams were taken one or more 

times daily at seven sampling stations during a period of 3 

years and composited into weekly or monthly samples according to streamflow. Determinations were made of physical parameters and of the content of stable chemical constituents, 

radiochemical constituents, and suspended sediment in the 

composite samples.

Results of the analyses showed that all three streams contain 

water of the calcium bicarbonate type, presumably as a result 

of the abundance of limestone, and dolomite bedrock underlying 

their drainage basins. Tennessee River water is similar in composition to Clinch River water, but contains somewhat less 

bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, and suspended and dissolved 

solids, and somewhat more sodium and chloride. Whiteoak 

Creek water is more highly mineralized than the other two 

streams, and has a higher average content of sulfate, nitrate, 

phosphorus, and sodium.

Turbidity, apparent color, centrifuged color, and suspended 

solids, all largely controlled by seasonal variations in rainfall 

and runoff, varied with time in the same general manner in 

both the Clinch River and the Tennessee River. Hardness, 

calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride showed maximum concentrations in the autumn, when contribution of ground water 

to streamflow is greatest and dilution of wastes is least. Iron 

and manganese varied in the same manner as suspended solids in 

both rivers. This variation suggests that those constituents were 

present in the water primarily in association with solid particles.

Most of the cesium-137 entering the Clinch River in Whiteoak 

Creek water was associated with suspended solids having a diameter larger than that of colloidal particles. This association 

persisted in the lower Clinch River, but in the Tennessee River, 

cesium-137 was either dissolved in the water or associated with 

solids of colloidal or near-colloidal size.

Comparisons of variations in radionuclide content with 

variations in stable chemical content of water samples indicated 

that much of the strontium-90 present in Whiteoak Creek water 

may have been associated with precipitated calcium carbonate. 

Close similarities in variations in concentration between ruthenium-106 and cobalt-60 in both Whiteoak Creek and the Clinch 

River, and correlation of the two radionuclides with nitrate at 

Whiteoak Dam, reflected their common origin in high-nitrate 

solutions released to the basin of Whiteoak Creek. Their lack 

of correlation with cesium-137 and strontium-90 indicated other 

origins for those radionuclides.

INTRODUCTION

Since 1943, when the Oak Eidge National Laboratory 

(OKNL) in eastern Tennessee first began processing 

radioactive materials, the Laboratory has released lowlevel-radioactive liquid wastes to the Clinch Eiver via 

Whiteoak Creek. The fate of these radioactive wastes 

and the mechanisms by which the contained radionuclides are dispersed in the river have been investigated through the Clinch Eiver Study, a multiagency 

effort to evaluate the past, present, and future use of 

the river for disposal of such wastes (Pickering and 

others, 1965; Struxness and others, 1967). The participants in the study were: Oak Eidge National Laboratory, operated by Union Carbide Corp.; Tennessee 

Game and Fish Commission; Tennessee State Department of Public Health, Stream Pollution Control 

Board; Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA); U.S. 

Atomic Energy Commission (AEC); U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS); U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).

When the study was begun in 1960, the following 

objectives were established by the Clinch Eiver Study

Jl
J2 TBANSPOBT OP EADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

Steering Committee, an advisory group composed of 

representatives of each of the participating agencies 

(Morton, 1963, p. 1): (1) To determine the fate of 

radioactive materials currently being discharged to the 

Clinch Kiver, (2) to determine and understand the 

mechanisms of dispersion of radionuclides released to 

the river, (3) to evaluate the direct and indirect 

hazards of current disposal practices in the river, (4) 

to evaluate the overall usefulness of the river for radioactive waste disposal purposes, and (5) to provide 

appropriate conclusions regarding long-term monitoring procedures.

The release of low-level radioactive liquid waste to 

the basin of Whiteoak Creek, which drains the Oak 

Kidge National Laboratory area, was begun soon after 

establishment of the Laboratory in 1943. Kadioactive 

liquids have entered Whiteoak Creek as a result of 

direct releases of processed waste water from the Laboratory, seepage from liquid waste pits, and drainage 

from solid waste disposal trenches (Browder, 1959).

Throughout most of the Laboratory's history, the 

waters of Whiteoak Creek have been impounded in 

Whiteoak Lake by Whiteoak Dam, which is 0.6 mile 

upstream from the mouth of the creek. The lake was 

created as a temporary storage facility for the radioactive waste carried in the creek water. Radioactive 

waste waters in Whiteoak Creek flow into the Clinch 

Eiver at a point 3.3 miles downstream from the Laboratory area. The diluted wastes in the Clinch Kiver flow 

into the Tennessee Kiver 20.8 miles downstream from 

the entry of Whiteoak Creek.

The continuous release of radioactive wastes to the 

Clinch Kiver during 20 years of Laboratory operations 

has provided a unique opportunity for studying the 

effects of such releases on the river, and the effects of 

the physical, chemical, hydrological, and biological 

characteristics of the liver on the individual radionuclides. As one element of the study, the chemical compositions and variability of the streams that receive the 

radioactive wastes were characterized through an intensive program of water sampling. These water-quality 

characteristics are the subject of this report.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Analyses of the stable chemical compositions and the 

physical properties of samples of Clinch Kiver water 

and Tennessee Kiver water taken in the regular sampling program of the Clinich Kiver Study were made at 

the chemical laboratory of the Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board in Nashville, Tenn., under the 

direction of S. Leary Jones. Radiochemical analyses of 

aliquots of the same samples were made at facilities of 

the U.S. Public Health Service in Cincinnati, Ohio, by

personnel of the Division of Radiological Health. 

Stable chemical analyses of Whiteoak Creek water, 

analyses of Clinch Kiver water for trace and minor 

elements, and nonregular radiochemical analyses were 

performed by personnel of the Analytical Chemistry 

Division, ORNL.

P. H. Carrigan, Jr., Project Chief of the Clinch 

River Study for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

has offered many valuable suggestions and much helpful advice pertaining to the study. Discussions of sorption mechanisms with T. Tamura (ORNL), V. C. Kennedy, (USGS), and E. A. Jenne (USGS) have been 

most helpful to the author, as have discussions of radioactivity in Whiteoak Creek with W. M. McMaster 

(USGS) and T. F. Lomenick (ORNL). The results of 

studies of the desorption of radionuclides from Whiteoak Creek bottom sediment, performed by W. P. Bonner (ORNL) and T. Tamura (ORNL), served as valuable references during the preparation of the report.

E. R. Eastwood (ORNL) Was in charge of sampling 

and sample preparation for sampling stations on the 

Clinch River and Whiteoak Creek.

The basic digital computer program used in correlating the results of water analyses was written by A. M. 

Craig, Jr., ORNL Mathematics Division. Modifications 

of the basic program for special applications, and several additional programs used in the study, were 

prepared by P. H. Carrigan, Jr. '(USGS) and the 

author. Calculations used for comparison of means and 

variances of stable chemical analyses at station pairs 

were performed by Mr. Carrigan.

The use of concise statistical summaries of the results 

of radiochemical analyses performed on water samples 

collected as part of the regular sampling program for 

the Clinch River Study, which were prepared under 

the direction of M. A. Churchill (TVA), expedited the 

study greatly.

Original drawings for figures 1 and 2 were prepared 

by the Graphic Arts Services Department, ORNL.

Work described in this report was part of a cooperative program with the Health Physics Division, Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory; the Oak Ridge Operations 

Office, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission; and the Division of Reactor Development and Technology, U.S. 

Atomic Energy Commission. Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory is operated for the U.S. Atomic Energy 

Commission by Union Carbide Corp.

BASIS FOR THE SAMPLING PROGRAM 

CHEMICAL TRANSPORT IN STREAMS

A chemical element can be transported in a surface 

stream in two general ways: (1) In solution, either ionic
COMPOSITION OF WATER AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES J3

or molecular, and (or) (2) in suspension, through its 

association with solid particles ranging in size from 

colloidal dimensions to material several millimeters in 

diameter. The radioactive form of an element is essentially the same in its chemical combining properties 

as the nonradioactive form; thus, the chemical reactions 

in which the various radionuclides released by OENL 

can take part in the receiving streams may be predicted 

on the basis of knowledge of the geochemical properties 

of those elements.

While still in transit in a stream, a chemical element 

may shift its association from solid to liquid phase, or 

from liquid to solid phase, as a result of a change in 

the chemical composition of the transporting water. 

Examples of such shifting are given in the following 

paragraphs.

1. Ions or molecules in solution can be sorbed* by solids 

in contact with the water through surface attraction due to van der Waals forces, or through specific or nonspecific ion exchange reactions. For 

example, strontium ions entering a stream in a 

waste solution can become attached to clay-mineral 

particles, which are present in bottom sediment 

and in suspension in the water, through the attraction of the negatively-charged crystal surfaces 

of clay-mineral particles for the positively-charged 

strontium ions (Baver, 1956, p. 24; Grim, 1953, p. 

126-155). However, in molecular sorption, and in 

nonspecific ion exchange reactions such as the one 

just described, all dissolved molecules and ions 

must compete for exchange sites and surface positions with one another and with molecules or ions 

already associated with the solids (Sayre and 

others, 1963, p. 13). Divalent ions compete more 

effectively than do monovalent ions for exchange 

sites. In calcarous systems, such 'as exist in the three 

streams studied, ions of strontium-90 must compete 

with the more abundant calcium, magnesium, and 

stable strontium ions for exchange sites. Thus, dissolved radionuclides would not be expected to be 

removed very effectively from solution through 

uptake by stream sediment, unless uptake were by 

means of a specific sorption reaction.

Ill specific sorption reactions, a particular ion 

or group of ions is sorbed preferentially, even 

when present in solution in relatively minor abundance. The uptake of cesium by mica and illite 

(Jacobs and Tamura, 1960) is an example of this 

sort of reaction. But even in specific sorption re1 Because the specific processes Involved In the uptake of radioactive 

materials by stream sediment are for the most part not precisely known, 

the general term "sorption" has been used In this paper. For an explanation of the term, see Sayre, Guy, and Chamberlain (1963, p. 11) and 

McBain (1950, p. 38).

actions involving only a single element, an individual radionuclide would be competing with the 

commonly more abundant stable forms of the same 

element in solution. Kennedy (1965) has described 

the control that sorption and desorption reactions 

of stream sediments exert on the chemical composition of a stream.

2. Precipitation of chemical compounds formed from 

ions in solution in a surface stream can take place 

as a result of changes in chemical composition, 

water temperature, dissolved-oxygen content, pH, 

or other stream-quality parameters. The precipitates formed in such a manner commonly contain 

small quantities of elements other than the primary elements of their compound as impurities. 

These minor constitutents may have been incorporated in the host precipitate by coprecipitation, 

by occlusion, or by substitution for another element in the crystal lattice of the precipitate. For 

example, strontium will substitute for calcium, to 

a limited extent, in the calcium carbonate minerals. 

Thus, if radiostrontium is present in water from 

which calcium carbonate is precipitating, some of 

the radiostrontium will be incorporated in the 

precipitate.

3. Dissolution of particles of a chemical precipitate and 

desorption of ions from sediment particles may 

occur when the chemical composition of the stream 

water is changed. Such compositional changes can 

occur as a result of dilution or mixing of one 

stream with another, or through release of chemical wastes to a stream.

From the above discussion, it should be apparent that 

the chemical and physical composition of a stream into 

which radioactive wastes are discharged can be an important factor in determining the fates, both temporary and ultimate, of the various introduced radionuclides. Stream processes that affect the fates of the 

introduced radionuclides are:

1. Transport of previously-formed radioactive solids.

2. Sorption of dissolved radionuclides by suspended 

solids present in water, or by solids in bottom sediment in contact with the water.

3. Competition of stable ions and molecules dissolved 

in the water with introduced radionuclides in nonspecific and specific sorption reactions.

4. Precipitation of radionuclide-bearing compounds as 

a result of oversaturation of the compounds in the 

water.

5. Dissolution or desorption of radionuclide-bearing 

solids as a result of a change in concentration of 

dissolved ions in the water.
J4 TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

EVIDENCE OF TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES IN 

SOLUTION

Evidence for removal of dissolved strontium-90 from 

river water through formation of calcium carbonate 

has been reported by Nelson (1962), who measured the 

radiostrontium-stable strontium ratio in clam shells in 

the Clinch River and the Tennessee River. He reported 

that the ratio decreases with distance downstream from 

the mouth of Whiteoak Creek in a manner consistent 

with predictions based on flow dilution. This relationship is apparently the result of proportional substitution of dissolved radiostrontium and stable strontium 

for some of the calcium ions in the calcium carbonate 

of the clam shell during its formation.

Further evidence of removal of strontium-90 from 

solution was provided by a deposit of calcite that 

formed as a coating on a metal object that had remained 

submerged in the Clinch River for 9 months at a point 

1.5 miles downstream from the mouth of Whiteoak 

Creek. The calcite contained 123.9 picocuries per gram 

ruthenium-103 and -106 and 10.1 picocuries per gram 

strontium-90 (Parker, 1963). This radionuclide content is within the range of radioactivity commonly 

found in suspended sediment in Clinch River water 

downstream from the mouth of Whiteoak Creek.

Substantial amounts of strontium-90 have been desorbed from samples of Whiteoak Creek bottom sediment by neutral solutions containing ions that compete 

with the strontium ion for exchange positions (Morton, 

1965. p. 53). These results indicate that strontium had 

been removed from solution by the sediment through 

nonspecific sorption reactions. Strontium held in this 

manner would be sensitive to changes in concentrations 

of competing ions in Whiteoak Creek water.

EVIDENCE OF TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES IN 

ASSOCIATION WITH SUSPENDED SOLIDS

Jacobs (1960) and Tamura (1963) have described 

the preferential uptake, or sorption, of cesium ions by 

layered aluminosilicate minerals having a mica-type 

structure (Grim, 1953, p. 65) in which the spacing in 

the direction of the crystallographic c-axis is 10 angstroms. Desorption studies have indicated that once 

cesium ions have been sorbed in this manner by stream 

sediment, they are not readily removed by leaching 

(Morton, 1965, p. 53-55). Most of the cesium-137 entering the Clinch River by way of Whiteoak Creek is 

associated with suspended solids, presumably aluminosilicate minerals, in the water, and this association persists throughout the lower Clinch River (Churchill and 

others, 1965, p. 37). The reservoir of cesium-137 that 

exists in the bottom sediment of Whiteoak Lake (Lomenick and Gardiner, 1965) is evidence that much of the

cesium entering Whiteoak Creek from the Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory as a dissolved ion soon becomes 

incorporated in suspended or bottom sediment in the 

creek.

Sediment suspended in a stream will be carried to a 

point of deposition that is governed by the size of the 

suspended particles and the velocity and turbulence of 

the water. At times of high streamflow, resuspension and 

downstream movement of the cesium-bearing sediment 

can occur. A pattern of movement of this sort is consistent with the observed occurrence of cesium-137 in the 

Clinch-Tennessee river system (Cottrell, 1959; Pickering and others, 1966).

Whiteoak Creek bottom sediment contains cobalt-60 

that can be removed from the sediment only by highly 

acidic solutions (Morton, 1965, p. 53). This characteristic suggests that the radionuclide was incorporated in 

the bottom sediment, and therefore probably in suspended sediment as well, by either a sorption reaction 

that is specific for cobalt, or by another solids-forming 

process such as the precipitation of a relatively insoluble 

chemical compound containing cobalt. Jenne and Wahlberg (1965, 1968) have reported that much of the 

cobalt-60 in Whiteoak Creek bottom sediment is associated with manganese and iron oxides, both relatively 

insoluble groups of minerals. Sorathesn and others 

(1960) have suggested that cobalt-60 may be sorbed by 

organic matter. Such solids probably have provided a 

vehicle for the transportation of cobalt-60 in the ClinchTennessee river system. The close relationship between 

concentrations of cobalt-60 and cesium-137 that has been 

observed in Clinch River bottom sediment (Pickering, 

1969) indicated that some cobalt-60 enters the Clinch 

River in the form of solid particles, and the limited 

removal of the cobalt by solutions containing competing 

ions suggests that simple ion exchange is not the primary means by which cobalt is incorporated in the 

sediment.

Most of the ruthenium-106 released to Whiteo'ak 

Creek enters as seepage from high-nitrate waste solutions contained in liquid waste disposal pits (Lomenick, 

1963; Morton, 1963, p. 19). Studies of simulated waste 

solutions (Lomenick, 1963), and leaching experiments 

performed on bottom sediment from Whiteoak Creek 

(Morton, 1965, p. 60-62), indicate that some of the ruthenium may be present in the form of nitrosyl ruthenium hydroxide RuNO(OH) 3 (H2O) 2. The chemical 

behavior of the hydroxide is not well known, but it is 

probably not easily dissolved in dilute, near-neutral 

waters (Story and Gloyna, 1963) like those of the 

lower part of Whiteoak Creek and the Clinch River. 

Its transport in the river system as a very fine suspended 

precipitate (less than 0.7 micron) is therefore likely.
COMPOSITION OF WATEE AS BELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES J5

LOCATION AND OPERATION OF WATERSAMPLING STATIONS

Radioactive wastes from OENL are released to 

Whiteoak Creek, which enters the Clinch Eiver 20.8 

miles upstream from where the Clinch Eiver enters the 

Tennessee Eiver. In order to characterize the composition and variability of each of the three streams, water 

samples were collected for 1- or 2-year periods at seven 

sampling stations, and analyzed for their content of 

stable chemical constituents, radiochemical constituents, and suspended sediment. Sampling was begun in 

December 1960 and concluded in November 1963.

The locations of the sampling stations are listed in 

table 1 and shown in figures 1 and 2. One water sampling station was at Whiteoak Dam, 0.6 mile upstream 

from the mouth of Whiteoak Creek, three stations were 

on the Clinch Eiver, and three stations were on the Tennessee Eiver. The most upstream stations on both the 

Clinch Eiver and the Tennessee Eiver were at points 

not affected by releases of radioactive wastes from 

OENL, and served as background stations for the water 

sampling program. The entire reach of the Clinch Eiver 

below the mouth of Whiteoak Creek is an arm of Watts 

Bar Lake, which is formed by Watts Bar Dam on the 

Tennessee Eiver (fig. 2).

7'30" 84°00'

TENNESSEE y"'j>

7 

*Y <--/

36° 

00'

35' 

52 30"

EXPLANATION

Water-sampling station 

Number indicates distance upstream, 

^^^^ in miles, from mouth 

WOCM 0,6 Whiteoak Dam

CRM 41.5 Oak Ridge water treatment plant intake 

CRM 14.4 Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion plant,

water treatment plant intake 

CRM 5.5 Centers ferry

10 MILES 

I

FIGURE 1. Locations of water-sampling stations on the Clinch River and on Whiteoak Creek.

370-431 70-
J6 TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

TABLE 1. Locations of water-sampling stations

Location Stream mile i

Overflow at Whiteoak Whiteoak Creek__ WOCM 0. 6

Dam. 

Oak Ridge water treat- Clinch River ___ CRM

ment plant intake. 

Oak Ridge gaseous ____-do__________ CRM

diffusion plant water

treatment plant

intake. 

Centers Ferry___________._do__________ CRM

Loudon, Tenn__-_-__--_ Tennessee River.___ TRM 

Tailrace at Watts Bar ___do____. TRM

Dam. 

Tailrace at Chicka- ___do______ .. TRM

mauga Dam.

41.5

14.4

5.5

591.8

529.9

471.0

»The abbreviation "CRM" (Clinch River mile), followed by a figure, is used in 

this report to designate distance upstream, in miles, from the mouth of the Clinch 

River. Similarly, "TRM" (Tennessee River mile) and "WOCM" (Whiteoak Creek 

mile), followed by figures, also designate distance from the mouths of the streams. 

This terminology is consistent with prior usage in the Clinch River Study (Morton, 

1961,1962b).

A history of sample collection, preparation, and 

analysis for each sampling station is shown graphically 

in figure 3. At the beginning of the project, water 

samples from the stations at TRM 529.9, TRM 471.0, 

CRM 41.5, CRM 5.5, and WOCM 0.6 were collected

one or more times daily and composited into weekly 

samples (7-day composites) on the basis of discharge 

in the stream at the time of collection (Churchill and 

others, 1965). After the first 5 months of sampling had 

been completed at the first three stations, preparation 

of composite samples for stable chemical analysis was 

reduced to a monthly basis (30-day composites). At 

the station at CRM 5.5, 7-day composite samples were 

prepared throughout the entire 2-year sampling period. 

At the background station on the Tennessee River 

(TRM 591.8), equal increments of daily samples were 

composited into non-discharge-weighted monthly samples (30-day composites) during the entire sampling 

period and analyzed for both stable chemical and radiochemical constituents. Radiochemical analyses were 

made of discharge-weighted 7-day composite samples 

from all sampling stations except the station at 

TRM 591.8.

The water-sampling station at CRM 14.4 was operated as part of the Clinch River Study only during the 

second year of the sampling period, and only radiochemical analyses of discharge-weighted 7-day composite samples were made. However, stable chemical

EXPLANATION

KENTUCKY VIRGINIA .TRM«7u>

Water-sampling station

Number indicates distance upstream, 

in miles, from mouth

TRM 591.8 Loudon

TRM 529.9 Trailrace at Watts Bar Dam

TRM 471.0 Trailrace at Chickamauga Dam

TENNESSEE

NORTH CAROLINA

10 0 10 20 30 40 MILES

I, I I

GEORGIA

FIGURE 2. Locations of water-sampling stations on the Tennessee River. Outline shows area of figure 1.
COMPOSITION OF WATER AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES JT

analyses of non-discharge-weighted T-day composite 

samples from that station had been made during the 

preceding year at facilities of the Analytical Chemistry 

Division, OKNL, and have been included in the data 

used in this report. No stable chemical analyses were 

made of samples from the sampling station at Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6) as part of the regular watersampling program of the Clinch Kiver Study, but analyses of samples collected during a later, noncoincident 

period, November 1962 through November 1963, made at 

facilities of the Analytical Chemistry Division, OKNL, 

are included in this report.

The intake at each water-sampling station was located at a point in the stream channel where mixing

was believed to be complete and a homogeneous sample 

of the stream could be obtained. Samples were not preserved in any way, and although the dilute nature of 

the water in all three streams may have served to minimize compositional changes that occurred between the 

time of collection and the time of analysis, some changes 

probably took place nonetheless. These changes, which 

were assumed to be minor, were made less significant by 

the preparation of composite samples.

Stable chemical analyses were performed on raw 

water samples at all stations except the stations at 

WOCM 0.6 and CRM 14.4, for which analyses were run 

on filtered samples. Analyses for stable strontium at all 

sampling stations were performed on filtered samples.

 I T 

WOCM 0.6

T~T

CRM 41,5

CRM 14.4

CRM 5.5

TRM 591.8

TRM 529.9

TRM 471.0

EXPLANATION

CRM 41.5, water-sampling station 

S, stable chemical analyses 

R, radiochemical analyses

7-day composite samples

Not discharge weighted

Discharge weighted 

30-day composite samples

Not discharge weighted

Discharge weighted

A'S'O'N'DJJ'F'M'A'M'J'J'A'S'O'N'DIJ'F'M'A'M'J'J'A'S'O'N'DIJ'F'M'A'M'J'J'A'S'O'N'D

I960 1961 1962 1963 

FIGURE 3. History of sampling and analysis of water for Clinch River Study.
J8 TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

Determinations of the physical properties and the 

content of major and minor elements in the water samples from the stations at CRM 41.5, CRM 5.5, TRM 

591.8, TKM 529.9, and TEM 471.0 were made at the 

chemical laboratory of the Tennessee Stream Pollution 

Control Board, Nashville, Tenn. Determinations of the 

content of trace elements in the samples were made at 

facilities of the Analytical Chemistry Division, OK.NL. 

Radiochemical analyses of the samples were performed 

by personnel of the Division of Kadiological Health, 

U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), Cincinnati, 

Ohio. Most of the analytical methods used have been 

described in publications of the respective agencies (see 

Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board, 1960; 

Rains and others, 1962; Feldman and Rains, 1964; 

Porter and others, 1965; Hallbach, 1959).

STABLE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATER 

CLINCH RIVER WATER

Partial results of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Clinch River water prepared during 

the 2-year sampling period as part of the Clinch River

Study have been reported by Morton (1962a, b), the 

Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board (1960,1961, 

1962), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (1963). A 

statistical summary of the results of all analyses is given 

in table 2. Maximums, minimums, and standard deviations listed in table 2 are for composite samples and thus 

do not represent the full range of compositional variability of the stream.

In this report, the units which indicate concentrations 

of dissolved solids and individual ions determined by 

chemical analysis are reported both in the English and 

metric systems. This change from reporting in "English 

units" has been made as a part of a gradual change to 

the metric system that is in general use by the scientific 

community. The change is intended to promote greater 

uniformity in reporting of data. Chemical data on concentrations are reported in both milligrams per liter 

(mg/1) and in parts per million (ppm), the units used 

in earlier reports in this series. For concentrations less 

than 7,000 mg/1, the numbers reported are about the 

same as for concentrations in parts per million.

TABLE 2. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Clinch River water l

Clinch River mile 41.5 Clinch River mile 14.4

24 months 2

Standard MiniMean deviation mum 

monthly'

Turbidity, ppm (mgA) _ 

Apparent color, ppm(mgA) 

Centrifuged color, ppm 

(mgA) ....

pH ........... .....

HCO«, ppm (mg/1).. ...

Acidity, as CaCOj, ppm 

(mgA)-. .

Hardness, as CaCOs,

CJL ppm (mgA) --------

Fe. ppm (mgA)- ----------

PO*, ppm (mgA) -...-.-.-.

Specific conductance at

Suspended solids, ppm 

(mgA) . -

Dissolved solids, ppm

Total solids, ppm "(mg/i) . . 

Ejeldahl N, as N, ppm 

(mg/1).. 

Discharge, cfs °

28 

197 

20

117 

3

107 

27 

9.4 

5 

12 

1.0 

3.4 

.2 

1.7 

2.3 

2.9

195 

185

125 

310

.7 

.4 

9.02 

12 . 073 

5,090 2,

19 

124 

15

7.41 

3

17.4 

4.3 

2.8 

2 

5 

.59 

2.3 

.09 

.49 

1.1 

.69

36.5 

124

27 

121

.2 

.3 

9.05 

12,006 

780

6

42 

0

7.1 

105

0

78 

18 

5.1 

1 

2 

.2 

.3 

.1 

.8 

1.0 

1.5

119 

18

67 

140

.3

.0

9.00

8 12 . 058 

2,610

Maximum

68 

542 

62

8.2 

130

10

148 

36 

18.0 

11 

23 

2.4 

9.2 

.4 

3.1 

5.2 

4.0

263 

557

201 

677

1.3 

1.1

!".' 08 

14,280

Mean

0)

119

21 

7.7 

1.6 

10 

2.7 

.06 

.22 

1.3 

2.4 

1.5

216 

25.3

129 

154

6 .07 

4,620

58 weeks 8

Clinch River mile 5.5

104 weeks «

Standard Standard Minideviation deviation mum 

weekly* monthly B

11.3

2.4 

l.C 

.53 

4 

4.0 

.08 

.17 

.20 

.50 

.72

14.4 

20.3

20.7 

23.6

.14 

6.08

1.8 

.71 

.30 

1.5 

3.0 

.06 

.10 

.13 

.39 

.68

9.98 

14.5

8.43 

14.9

.009 .0067 

2, 525 1, 680

7.0

87

17 

4.5 

1.0 

1.0 

.3 

.01 

.05 

1.1 

1.8 

.1

190 

1.0

90 

127

.040

545

Maximum

8.1

141

27 

10.0 

4.5 

27 

19 

.37 

.75 

2.3 

4.7 

2.4

282 

104

218 

231

.080 

15,990

Mean

. 17

. 114

- 20

112 

. 4

. 106

27 

9.4 

3 

12 

1.5 

1.7 

.1 

1.6 

2.4 

2.7

196 

55

133

188

.5 

.1

. 10 . 01

.069 

5,580

Standard 

deviation 

weekly*

16

97 

20

13.4 

3

23.8 

6.2 

3.7 

1 

5 

1.7 

1.3 

.1 

.55 

1.3 

.63

42.8 

46

64 

77

.3 

.1

io.03 

.0076 

3,853

Standard 

deviation 

monthly '

10 

50 

14

7.86 

2

19.7 

3.8 

2.8 

.9 

3 

2.2 

.80 

.07 

.42 

.90 

.42

36.5 

32

37

49

.2 

.08 

".OS 

.0055 

3,060

Minimum

1

3 

0

7.2

57

0

69 

17 

4.1 

1 

0 

.0 

.1 

.0 

.6 

.0 

.9

105

2

25 

112

.2 

.0 

10.00 

.043 

359

Maximum ,

86 . 

480 

102

8.5 

135

14

169 

43 

22.6 

8 

29 

12.7 

7.1 

.6 

3.5 

9.5 

4.4

312

275

549 

601

1.7 

.6 

10.18 

.080 

19,000

1 Chemical analyses of filtered samples for Sr by O RNL. Chemical analyses of centrifuged samples from C RM 14.4 for all other constituents by O RNL. All other chemiea 

analyses of raw samples by Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board.

2 Sampling period, December i960 through November 1962. Samples were discharge weighted.

* Sampling period, Nov. 28-Dec. 4,1960, through Jan. 3-8,1962. Maximum, minimum, and mean are for 7-day composite samples. Samples were not discharge weighted.

* Sampling period, Nov. 27-Dec. 3,1960, through Nov. 25-Dec. 1,1962. Maximum, minimum, and mean are for 7-day composite samples. Samples were discharge weighted.

* Standard deviation of 30-day composite samples from mean for sampling period.

* Standard deviation of 7-day composite samples from mean for sampling period. 

7 Dash indicates that constituent was not determined.

* Not calculated.

11 Sampled for 19-month period only, May 1961 through November 1962.

i° Sampled for 85-week period only, Apr. 16-22,1961, through Nov. 25-Dec. 1,1962.

11 For 19-month period only, May 1961 through November 1962.

w Sampled for 42-week period, Mar. 19-25,1961, through Dec. 31,1961-Jan. 6,1962. Maximum, minimum, mean, and standard deviation are for 7-day composite samples.

ij Not discharge weighted. Discharge data are time weighted.
COMPOSITION OF WATER AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL OP RADIOACTIVE WASTES J9

Calcium is the predominant dissolved cation in Clinch 

River water, and bicarbonate is the predominant anion. 

The chemical composition of the water presumably is 

the result of the abundance of limestone and dolomite 

in bedrock underlying the drainage basin of the Clinch 

River.

Analytical results for all three sampling stations are 

very similar. Different water velocities at the most upstream and the most downstream sampling stations 

probably account for differences in mean turbidity, suspended solids, and iron content at the two stations. Iron 

and manganese in the water appear to be associated 

with suspended solids which settle out of the water as 

velocity decreases with distance downstream. Differences 

in nitrate content between the two stations probably 

reflect local differences in use of fertilizer on farmland 

drained by the river. Differences between some of the 

mean values for the sampling station at CRM 14.4 and 

the other two stations are probably the result of different 

total sampling periods and different methods of sample 

processing at the two laboratories involved. (See footnotes accompanying table 2.)

Periodic analyses of composite water samples from 

CRM 14.4 for trace and minor elements were made by 

the spectrographic laboratory at ORNL during an 11- 

month period from February 6,1961, through January 

8, 1962. The results of these analyses are summarized 

in table 3. Water samples composited on a weekly basis 

(not discharge weighted) were analyzed for cesium, 

cobalt, ruthenium, and hexavalent chromium, and apTABLE 3. Summary of analyses of cotnposite samples of Clinch 

River water for trace and minor elements 1

Mean 2 Minimum Maximum Number of

Cs

Co ---_--_--.

Ru ___ ___ . _ __ .

Cu._- _____ _.

NH4 . 

Zn

Ba

Al

Mn

Ti __ ______ __ __.

Zr __ _-_-_____-____

F

Br

j

Li _ __-_______._--

Be

Cr, hexavalent 5

.. <0. 01 .

._ 3 <. 02 _

_ <. 1 .

<. 005 .

. 11

_ « <. 3 _

_ <. 01 .

.03

^j

_ <2

. 005

___ <. 01

<0. 01

<. 02

.05

<. 01

<T 01

.01

<. 01

<. 05

.004

<. 001

0. 10

. 11

.32

.34

.08

.06

.03

.38

.007

.005

43

43

43

14

15

14

13

1Q

15

17

16

19

14

14

6

5

3

3

20

1 Chemical analyses of 7-day composite samples collected at OEM 14.4. Sampling 

period Feb. 6,1961, through Jan. 8,1962. Chemical analysis by Spectrographic Laboratory, OENL. Concentrations in parts per million (milligrams per liter).

2 Where mean value is given as less than a stated number, all measured concentrations were less than the stated minimum detectable concentration.

3 <0.01 beginning Aug. 14, 1961. All analyses less than minimum detectable 

concentration.

* <0.05 beginning July 10, 1961. All analyses less than minimum detectable concentration.

 Sampling period Aug. 7,1961, through Jan. 8,1962.

proximately every third composite sample was analyzed 

for copper, rubidium, ammonium, zinc, barium, aluminum, manganese, titanium, zirconium, nickel, fluoride, 

bromide, iodide, lithium, and beryllium.

Discharge-weighted mean monthly concentrations of 

stable chemical constituents were computed for the 

three stations on the Clinch River, plotted, and examined for seasonal variations. Turbidity, apparent color, 

centrif uged color, suspended solids, and iron, all largely 

controlled by seasonal variations in rainfall and surface 

runoff, varied in the same general manner as discharge 

in the river, being highest in late winter and early 

spring. Hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and 

chloride showed maximum concentrations in the autumn, when ground-water contribution was the maximum percentage of total flow, and minimum concentrations in the spring, when much of the flow came from 

surface runoff. Organic nitrogen (Kjeldahl method) 

reached a maximum in the early summer. Sporadic high 

concentrations of nitrate that occurred in spring are 

assumed to reflect the use of nitrate fertilizers on farmland draining into the river. Potassium showed a maximum in the spring, and silica showed a maximum in 

the summer and a minimum in the winter. Examples 

of seasonal variations in selected constituents at CRM 

41.5 are shown graphically in figure 4.

WHITEOAK CREEK WATER

A statistical summary of the chemical composition 

of Whiteoak Creek water is shown in table 4. The data 

are based on 27 7-day composite samples of water passing over Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6). The samples 

were collected over a period of 1 year by means of a 

sampling device which took samples that were proportional to the discharge over the dam (Abee and Hart, 

1961). The composite samples for the determination 

of major and minor element concentrations were collected every other week during the 1-year period. Samples for trace-element analysis (strontium, cesium, and 

rubidium) were collected during the alternate weeks. 

The sampling period for Whiteoak Creek water was 

not coincident with that for Clinch River water and 

Tennessee River water, as noted in a preceding section 

of this report.

Whiteoak Creek water is a calcium bicarbonate water 

that is similar in composition to Clinch River water 

but is more highly mineralized. It has a higher content 

of sulf ate, nitrate, phosphorus, and sodium than does 

Clinch River water. It appears also to have a somewhat 

higher average content of bicarbonate and calcium, and 

a somewhat lower content of magnesium, but minor 

differences in composition cannot be adequately defined 

due to lack of concurrence of the sampling periods.
CONCENTRATION, IN PARTS PER MILLION (MILLIGRAMS PER LITER)

DIS

CUBIC F

O 00 

O O

ro 4* o>

O O O O

^ 

tsS" O

ff 2[

Q a

I -

g ;F

5" %.

ro

t-> ro co -P> 01 <r>

»-* O O O O O O

o^oooooooooo o

4^ <^ 

O O 

O O 

O O 

I I II I I I J I
COMPOSITION OF WATER AS BELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES Jll

TABLE 4. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite 

samples of Whiteoak Creek water 1

Mean Standard Minimum Maxideviation mum

pH -_ _._...

HC08, ppm

(mg/1) .__.

Ca, ppm (mg/1) _ _ Mg, ppm (mg/1).

CL ppm (mg/1) 

SO4, ppm (mg/l)_

N03, ppm (mg/1).

Fe, ppm (mg/l)__

PO*, ppm (mg/1) .

K, ppm (mg/1) 

Na, ppm (mg/1) __

Si, ppm (mg/I) 

Specific conductance at

25°C,/imhos__-

F, ppm (mg/1) 

Cr, hexavalent,

ppm (mg/l)___

Sr, ppm (mg/l)__ 

Ca, ppm (mg/l)_-

Rb, ppm (mg/1) __

Al, ppm (mg/l)__

Li, ppm (mg/1)..

Discharge, cfs___

(2)

125

32

6.0

5.1

23

8.2

.08

.60

1.6

14

1.7

283

.50

.01

.065 

. 00016

.0013

. 10

.0057

14

P)

24.2

4.6

1.7

2.0

6.4

5.8

. 1

1.2

.30

7.8

.87

60.3

.31

.007

. 012 

. 00041

.0025

.076

.0081

4.3

7.2

79

22

3. 1

2.4

17

1.8

.01

.16

.91

4.1

.04

160

.26

.005

.050 

<. 00001

. 00013

.006

.001

5.1

8.0

168

40

9.1

9.7

39

25

.44

.79

2. 1

32

2.6

410

1.2

.04

.100 

.0020

.0096

.30

.042

87

i Sampling period Nov. 18-25,1962, through Nov. 24-30.1963. Chemical analyses 

of 7-day composite samples prepared every other week (27 samples for each constituent) from samples collected at Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6). Samples for analysis 

of Sr, Cs, and Kb were not taken in same weeks as samples for analysis of the other 

constituents. Data discharge weighted except for discharge, which is time weighted. 

Chemical analysis by OKNL on filtered samples.

* Not calculated.

Some of the compositional differences no doubt are due 

to the release to Whiteoak Creek of liquid wastes from 

chemical processing operations at OKNL. No welldefined seasonal variations in constituent concentrations 

in Whiteoak Creek water were observed.

The entry of Whiteoak Creek into the Clinch River 

would be expected to have little measurable effect on 

the composition of Clinch Kiver water because of the 

high dilution (mean, 670:1) of the creek water by the 

river water. However, the resulting change in the chemical environment of solids suspended in Whiteoak Creek 

water could induce such reactions in the solids as the 

release of sorbed ions or the dissolution of precipitates 

(for example, calcium carbonate).

TENNESSEE RIVER WATER

Partial results of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Tennessee River water prepared during the 2-year sampling period have been reported by 

Morton (1962a, b), the Tennessee Stream Pollution 

Control Board (1960, 1961, 1962), and the Tennessee 

Valley Authority (1963). A statistical summary of the 

results of all analyses is given in table 5. As noted 

before, maximums, minimums, and standard deviations 

are for composite samples and thus do not represent the 

full range of variability of the stream. A comparison 

of tables 2 and 5 indicates that although Tennessee

Kiver water is a calcium bicarbonate type similar to 

Clinch Kiver water, it contains somewhat less calcium, 

magnesium, bicarbonate, and suspended solids, and 

somewhat more sodium and chloride, than does Clinch 

Kiver water.

The decrease in turbidity and iron content between 

the background station (TKM 591.8) and the two downstream stations at Watts Bar Dam (TKM 529.9) and 

Chickamauga Dam (TRM 471.0) was probably due to 

the settling out of suspended solids caused by decreased 

water velocities in the reservoirs upstream from the two 

dams. The higher content of sodium and chloride in 

Tennessee River water, as compared to Clinch River 

water, is probably due to chemical wastes from industries upstream from TKM 591.8. Dilution of Clinch 

River water by Tennessee River water is approximately 

sixfold.

An examination of plots of discharge-weighted mean 

monthly concentrations of stable chemical constituents 

at the sampling stations on the Tennessee River showed 

that turbidity, apparent color, centrifuged color, suspended solids, and iron varied in the same manner as 

discharge, which is largely controlled by seasonal variations in rainfall and runoff, as in the Clinch River. 

Hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, sulfate, and dissolved solids showed maximum concentrations in the autumn and minimum concentrations in the 

spring, probably due to the relatively great contribution 

of groundwater to streamflow, and decreased dilution 

of wastes, during the dry autumn months. Sporadic high 

concentrations of nitrate in Tennessee River water during the summer probably resulted from agricultural 

application of fertilizer. Potassium showed maxima in 

both spring and autumn, and silica showed a maximum 

in the autumn and a minimum in the winter. It may be 

that the latter two constituents are present both in association with suspended solids and in solution.

CONSTITUENT COMPARISONS AND INTERSTATION 

COMPARISONS

Concurrent variations in concentration were statistically compared for each constituent pair at each sampling station. Turbidity, apparent color, and centrifuged 

color varied in a manner similar to that of suspended 

solids in the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers, as expected. 

Iron and manganese, and at some stations silica and potassium, varied in the same manner. This variation suggests that those constituents are present in the water 

primarily in association with solid particles. This association was confirmed for iron and manganese by the 

considerably lower contents of the two elements in 

samples from CRM 14.4 than in samples from other stations on the Clinch River. Most of the suspended solids 

were removed from the samples collected at CRM 14.4
J12 TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES BY STREAMS

TABLE 5. Summary of stable chemical analyses of composite samples of Tennessee River water

TBM 591.8 TBM 529.9 TBM 471.0

28 months * 24 months » 24 months 3

Standard Standard Mini- MaxiMean deviation Minimum Maximum Mean deviation mum mum

monthly * monthly «

Standard Mini- MaxiMean deviation mum mum 

monthly *

Turbidity, ppm (mg/1). _ . ............

pH... ..............................

HC0 3 , ppm (mgA)- ----------

Cl, ppm (mg/1)..... .....................

Specific conductance at 25°C. jumhos .....

Kjeldahl N, as N, ppm (mg/1) _ ...

Sr, ppm >..- _ . __ _____ . ...........

14

88

23

66

3

75

21

5.5

20

11

1.8

1.0

.2

1 i

9

E

3.5

170 

22

121

142

.1

.063

21, 420

11

58

21

10

1%

4.7

2

0

9

4

1 9

7*

.41

q fj

54

31.9 

13

27915

.1

.014

Q 1OO

3

34

5

7.1

50

0

49

11

2.7

5

1

i

.0

.5 3 9

2.4

122 

0

75

int

.0

.039

13, 490

52

979

95

Q 0

QK

34

1 K Q

 >Q

19

10.4

Q A

1.1

2.5

16.0

4.7

247 

65

177

ISO

.088

Af\ 7Qfl

6

53

24

70

75

20

5.8

15

19

1.6

.5

.2

i a

ft a

Q -I

177 

15

112

126

.5

.0

31, 340

7

4990

7.6

1Q

4.5

9 S

7

2.7

.5

.1

QA

.48

33.6 

13

10

ia

.2

.02

14,290

1

5

0

7.2

52

47

14

1.7

5

.4

.0

.0

2 9

1 si

115 

1

79

QQ

.3

.0

iQ ojn

29

226

ins

7 9

QO

10

197

Ort

13 1

32

91

14.4

1 9

.4

4 a

19 fl

Q Q

247

it

149

156

1.1

.1

ftft 4. Kft

7

en

31

63

70

19

K R

13

19

1.5

.6

.1

1

0

c o

3.4

162

101

111

.4

.0

3Q Sftrt

9

59

27

Q Q

2

17

1 3

2

1

5

5

3 1

.6

AQ

00

9 ^

3Q

26.9 

12

19

17

.05

n dOfi

1

6.6

44

0

44

12

2.4

6

.0

.7

1.7

2.6

128

71

75

.2

.0

99 finn

35

223

118

8.2

87

fl K

°9

24

32

16.3

2 1

.4

2

{\

n

*y

4.1

221 

44

131

13Q

1.1

76, 820

 Chemical analyses of filtered samples for Sr by OBNL. All other chemical analyses are of raw samples by Tennessee Stream Pollution Control Board.

2 Sampling period, August 1960 through November 1962. Samples were not discharge weighted.

3 Sampling period, December 1960 through November 1962. Samples were discharge weighted.

4 Standard deviation of 30-day composite samples from mean for sampling period.

8 Not calculated.

8 Dash indicates that constituent was not determined.

7 Not discharge weighted. Discharge data is time weighted.

by centrifugation prior to analysis. The suspended 

solids content, turbidity, and color of Tennessee River 

water varied directly with discharge, but this pattern 

was not well defined in Clinch River water. At two 

stations, strontium showed a significant positive correlation with calcium, as one might expect if the two chemically similar elements were both derived from natural 

weathering processes. In the lower Clinch River, stable 

strontium varied inversely with suspended sediment, 

possibly as a result of dilution of the river water by lowstrontium surface runoff at times of high rainfall.

Each of the major chemical constituents of Whiteoak Creek water bicarbonate, calcium, sulf ate, sodium, 

magnesium, and chloride showed a significant positive correlation with each of the other major constituents and with specific conductance. All but sulfate 

showed significant negative correlations with discharge 

as a result of dilution of Whiteoak Creek water by surface runoff at times of high rainfall. Most of the sodium, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate in Whiteoak Creek 

water at Whiteoak Dam probably originated in waste 

from ORNL.

Statistical tests indicated that for sampling stations 

on the same stream, means and variances for 30-day 

composite samples were the same within statistical limits for most of the individual chemical constituents. 

When mean concentrations for 7-day composites were 

compared for a 24-week period during the winter and 

spring of 1960-61, high positive correlations were obtained between the pair of stations at CRM 41.5 and 

CRM 5.5, and between the pair of stations at TRM 529.9 

and TRM 471.0 for constituents related to surface runoff and thus more variable in relation to location on 

the river that is, turbidity, apparent color, centrifuged 

color, iron, and manganese. These results suggest that 

one sampling station on each river would have been 

sufficient to characterize the contents of chemical constituents not directly related to solids suspended in 

the water when the comparison was based on 30-day 

composite samples. They also emphasize the lack of 

major change in chemical composition of either the 

Clinch River or the Tennessee River as a result of the 

entry of tributary streams in the reaches of river 

studied.

RADIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATER

The results of radiochemical analyses of dischargeweighted 7-day composite water samples collected at 

Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6) during the 2-year sampling period have been reported by Churchill and others (1965). Mean and median values for the sampling 

period, beginning November 1960 and ending November 1962, for the distribution of the four most important radionuclides between suspended solids (particles 

greater than 0.7 micron) and the water phase (dissolved or as particles less than 0.7 micron) are listed in 

table 6. It is apparent that most of the cesium-137 is 

associated with suspended solids having a diameter
COMPOSITION OF WATER AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES J13

larger than that of colloidal particles. The other three 

radionuclides occur mainly either in solution or in association with suspended solids of colloidal or near-colloidal size.

The distribution of the four radionuclides between 

suspended solids and the water phase in 7-day composite samples from five of the six water-sampling 

stations on the Clinch Eiver and the Tennessee Eiver 

also is shown in table 6. Most of the cesium-137 in 

Clinch Eiver water is associated with suspended solids 

larger than 0.7 micron in diameter, but this apparently 

is not true in the Tennessee River. However, much of 

the cesium-137 in Tennessee Eiver water may be associated with finer particles that remained with the water 

phase during processing of the samples. The cesium-137 

content of bottom sediment in the lower Clinch River, 

and in the Tennessee Eiver between the mouth of the 

Clinch Eiver and Watts Bar Dam (TEM 471.0), is 

primarily due to deposition of the larger, settleable 

particles of suspended sediment.

The radionuclides cobalt-60, ruthenium-106, and 

strontium-90 are associated primarily with the water 

phase of the two rivers, but the significant fractions of 

cobalt-60 and ruthenium-106 that are associated with 

suspended solids in the lower Clinch Eiver (table 6) 

may be taken as evidence that there is some association 

of those two radionuclides with suspended fine particles 

in both rivers. The presence of all four radionuclides in 

Clinch Eiver bottom sediment (Carrigan, 1969; Pickering, 1969) further indicates their affinity for solids carried by the river water.

The content of cobalt-60 showed 'a high positive correlation with that of ruthenium-106 in 7-day composite 

water samples taken at Whiteoak Dam (coefficient of 

correlation 0.93) and the two downstream sampling 

stations on the Clinch Eiver (0.71 at GEM 14.4; 0.74 

at CEM 5.5) during the two sampling periods. This 

correlation probably resulted from the common origin 

of the two radionuclides in seepage from liquid-waste 

disposal pits in Whiteoak Creek basin (Lomenick and 

Gardiner, 1965). No significant radionuclide correlations were observed in samples from the Tennessee 

River, possibly because concentrations of cesium-137 

and cobalt-60 were near the lower limit of detection in 

many of the samples and could not be determined 

accurately.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STABLE CHEMICAL 

COMPOSITION AND RADIONUCLIDE CONTENT 

OF THE STREAMS

Comparisons between variations in radionuclide content and variations in stable chemical content of water 

samples from the individual stations have provided 

some evidence concerning the origin and the chemical 

form of the various radionuclides in the water. A high 

positive correlation of the content of strontium-90 with 

pH (coefficient of correlation 0.82) in weekly samples 

of water passing Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6) suggests 

that much of the strontium-90 in Whiteoak Lake may 

be associated with precipitated calcium carbonate. High 

positive correlations of ruthenium-106 and cobalt-60 

with the nitrate content of water passing Whiteoak 

Dam (0.75 and 0.80 respectively), together with their 

very high mutual correlation (0.93), confirms previous 

observations (Morton, 1963, p. 19) that the source of the 

two radionuclides is high-nitrate seepage water from 

intermediate-level waste-disposal pits located in the 

basin of Whiteoak Creek.

A high positive correlation of cesium-137 content 

with specific conductance (0.81), and with several of 

the minor chemical constituents in Whiteoak Creek 

water, and its lack of significant correlation with the 

contents of ruthenium-106, cobalt-60, and nitrate, suggests that the origin of cesium-137 is not the same as 

that of the other two radionuclides, and supports the 

contention (Struxness and others, 1967, p. 27) that 

treated process waste water released from OENL, and 

erosion of sediment from former impoundments in 

Whiteoak Creek, are the major sources of cesium-137 

in the creek water. Concentrations of suspended solids 

in water samples from Whiteoak Creek were not determined, but it can be assumed, on the basis of the distriTABLE 6. Radionuclide distribution between suspended solids and water phase at six water-sampling stations 1

Strontiam-90 Cesium-137 Cobalt-60 Ruthenium-106

Station location Percent in Percent in Percent in Percent in Percent in Percent in Percent in Percent in

suspended solids dissolved solids 2 suspended solids dissolved solids 2 suspended solids dissolved solids 2 suspended solids dissolved solids 2

Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median

CRM 41. 5____.._

WOCM 0. 6-.____

CRM 14. 4 » ___ .

CRM 5. 5...___._

TRM 529. 9____.-

TRM 471. 0 ___ .

... 24

2

6

9

9

._. 10

21

1

4

6

6

6

76

98

Q4

91

91

90

79

00

94

94

94

82

fiQ

92

86

30

19

100

79

100

100

0

0

18

01

8

14

70

81

0

21

0

0

100

100

5

10

97

30

2

3

0

12

OK

25

0

0

OK

81

73

70

98

97

100

88

75

75

100

100

44

6

21

21

11

15

29

4

17

16

7

8

56

94

79

7Q

89

85

71

96

83

84

93

9?,

« Data from Churchill and others, 1965.

2 Includes suspended solids less than 0.7 micron in diameter.

8 Sampling period, January 1962 through November 1962. For all other stations, sampling period was November 1960 through November 1962.
J14 TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDBS BT STREAMS

bution of cesium-137 between suspended and dissolved 

solids in the samples on which radiochemical analyses 

were performed (Churchill and others, 1965) and 

studies of suspended sediment in Whiteoak Creek above 

Whiteoak Lake (Morton, 1963, p. 28), that a high positive correlation between the concentration of cesium137 and the content of suspended solids in water samples collected at Whiteoak Dam would have been 

observed if the appropriate determinations had been 

made.

No significant correlations were observed between 

radionuclide and stable chemical concentrations for 

7-day composite water samples from CEM 14.4, but for 

30-day composite samples, strontium-90 and ruthenium106 correlated positively with iron (0.90 and 0.85 respectively) and negatively with stable strontium ( 0.94 

and 0.78 respectively). This correlation suggests that 

the two radionuclides may be in some way related to 

surface runoff. It should be noted that both stable 

chemical analyses and radiochemical analyses of samples collected at this station were performed on the 

supernatant liquid remaining after centrifugation of 

the samples to remove large-diameter particles of suspended sediment.

At CEM 5.5, concentrations of cesium-137 showed 

significant positive correlations with the contents of 

suspended solids, iron, and manganese (coefficients of 

correlation 0.63, 0.65, and 0.56 respectively), and with 

turbidity and apparent color (0.62 and 0.57 respectively), components known to vary with the amount 

of suspended sediment contributed to the river by surface runoff. A better correlation would not be expected 

because of the many sources of suspended sediment 

entering the Clinch Eiver and the commonly uneven 

short-term distribution of rainfall in the basin.

No high correlations of radiochemical constituents 

with stable chemical constituents were observed for 

samples obtained at the three sampling stations on the 

Tennessee River, but some weak correlations suggested 

that the content of ruthenium-106 in the water was 

higher when suspended sediment contributed by surface 

runoff was most abundant, and it was lower when the 

dissolved-solids concentration was high.

It should be noted that correlation of the content of 

certain radionuclides with parameters related to the 

suspended-solids content of water in the Clinch Eiver 

and WTiiteoak Creek do not necessarily indicate that 

the radionuclides are associated with suspended solids 

in the two streams. Flushing out of seeps from wastedisposal pits in the basin of WTiiteoak Creek during the 

initial period of rainfall would produce an increased 

content of ruthenium-106 and cobalt-60 in Whiteoak 

Creek water at the same time that turbulence due to runoff was producing an increase in suspended solids in the

stream. Supporting evidence, such as that given in table 

6, must therefore be sought when a relationship of this 

sort is suspected.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive chemical analyses of composite water 

samples collected from Whiteoak Creek, the Clinch 

Eiver, and the Tennessee Eiver over a 3-year period 

indicated that all three streams contain water of the 

calcium bicarbonate type, presumably as a result of the 

abundance of limestone and dolomite bedrock underlying their drainage basins. Tennessee River water is 

similar in composition to Clinch Eiver water, but contains somewhat less bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, 

and suspended and dissolved solids, and somewhat more 

sodium and chloride. Whiteoak Creek water is more 

highly mineralized than the other two streams, and has 

a higher average content of sulf ate, nitrate, phosphorus, 

and sodium.

Turbidity, apparent color, centrifuged color, and 

suspended solids increased seasonally with increased 

amounts of rainfall and runoff in the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers, and the contents of major dissolved 

constituents and total dissolved solids in the two rivers 

increased during the autumn when contribution of 

ground water to streamflow is greatest and dilution of 

wastes is least. Iron and manganese appeared to be present in the two streams predominantly in association 

with suspended solids. The composition of water in 

Whiteoak Creek showed less seasonal variation than 

water in the other two streams because of the substantial 

contribution to its total flow of treated process waste 

water from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers, progressive 

changes in chemical composition of the water with distance downstream in the two study reaches were small 

for most of the major chemical constituents. However, 

changes with distance downstream in turbidity, color, 

suspended solids, iron content, and manganese content 

were observed during rainy periods when the streams 

were receiving a heavy contribution of overland runoff.

Most of the cesium-137 released from Whiteoak 

Creek was associated with suspended solids. Correlation 

of cesium-137 with other constituents associated with 

suspended sediment in the Clinch River indicated that 

this association persisted during downstream transport 

of the radionuclide. A high positive correlation of strontium-90 with pH at Whiteoak Dam (WOCM 0.6) may 

have been the result of association of strontium-90 with 

precipitated calcium carbonate in Whiteoak Lake, as 

suggested by other investigators.

Close similarities in variations in concentration between ruthenium-106 and cobalt-60 in both Whiteoak 

Creek and the Clinch River, and a positive correlation
COMPOSITION OP WATER AS RELATED TO DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES J15

of the two radionuclides with nitrate at Whiteoak Dam, 

reflected their common origin in high-nitrate solutions 

released to liquid-waste disposal pits in the basin of 

Whiteoak Creek. Their lack of significant correlation 

with cesium-137 or strontium-90 indicated other origins 

for those radionuclides.

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