Robert H. Gray

The status, distribution and ecology of wildlife on the U.S. Doe Hanford Site: A historical overview of research activities

Since the inception of the U.S. DOE Hanford Site in 1943, numerous studies have been conducted on terrestrial wildlife. Onsite contractors have focused their attention on the role of wildlife in the uptake and transport of radionuclides. Graduate students from across the nation have also completed more than 15 theses on wildlife. This paper discusses the past history of wildlife research at Hanford and the individual species of wildlife that have been observed at Hanford. Forty species of mammals, 187 species of birds, 3 species of amphibians and 9 species of reptiles have been documented on the Hanford Site to date.

Effects of coal liquid water-soluble fractions on growth and survival of four aquatic organisms

Toxicities of water soluble fractions (WSF) derived from a fresh and a water-leached solvent-refined coal (SRC II) material were compared by observing freshwater organism response to chronic exposure. Concentrations, relative distributions, and loss over time of phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons differed between aqueous extracts derived from fresh and leached SRC II material. Readily water-soluble phenols predominated in initial WSFs; higher molecular weight compounds with relatively lower solubility predominated in leached WSFs. Suppression of growth, reproduction and survival of invertebrates,Chironomus tentans, Tanytarsus dissimilis, andDaphnia magna and the algaeSelenastrum capricornutum, were observed at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 0.42% of WSFs derived from fresh SRC II liquid and 0.80 to 3.95% of WSFs derived from leached SRC II material. Alga populations were the least sensitive to WSFs generated from the coal liquid. Based on equal concentrations of carbon or phenols, solutions derived from leached SRC II liquids were usually more toxic to test species. Data suggest that tests of potential long-term effects of complex materials must be designed and interpreted on the basis of organism exposure to compounds most likely to persist in the environment.

The protected area of Hanford as a refugium for native plants and animals

The US Department of Energys Hanford Site, by virtue of its large size of 1,450 km 2 (560 mi 2 ) and conservative use of undeveloped land, provides a sanctuary for plant and animal populations that have been eliminated from, or greatly reduced on, surrounding areas primarily as a result of decades of intensive agriculture. This paper describes Hanford Site biota with emphasis on fishes and other animal wildlife that are currently surveyed as part of a continuing environmental monitoring programme.

Avoidance of a Water-Soluble Fraction of Coal Liquid by Fathead Minnows

Abstract The behavioral response of fathead minnows Pimephales promelas to a water-soluble fraction (WSF) of coal liquid was evaluated in a nine-chambered circular tank (rosette). Groups of 36 fish each were tested to examine the effects of this complex organic mixture on a schooling species. Avoidance of all WSF concentrations with greater than 1.7 mg/L phenols (dye photometric measurements) occurred in 96 h replicated test series. Fish preference data were used to estimate a median avoidance concentration (AC50) of 1.54 mg/L total phenols. The observed avoidance threshold was sufficient to protect the species from acutely lethal effects reported for this coal liquid WSF, but exceeded concentrations known to be chronically toxic.

Environmental cleanup: The challenge at the Hanford Site, Washington, USA

Numerous challenges face those involved with developing a coordinated and consistent approach to cleaning up the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. These challenges are much greater than those encountered when the site was selected and the world’s first nuclear complex was developed almost 50 years ago. This article reviews Hanford’s history, operations, waste storage/disposal activities, environmental monitoring, and today’s approach to characterize and clean up Hanford under a Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, signed by DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington Sate Department of Ecology. Although cleanup of defense-related waste at Hanford holds many positive benefits, negative features include high costs to the US taxpayer, numerous uncertainties concerning the technologies to be employed and the risks involved, and the high probability that special interest groups and activists at large will never be completely satisfied. Issues concerning future use of the site, whether to protect and preserve its natural features or open it to public exploitation, remain to be resolved.

Past and present water-quality conditions in the Hanford Reach, Columbia River.

Twelve water quality variables from upstream and downstream locations in the Hanford Reach of the mainstem Columbia River, southcentral Washington, were compared statistically for the two time periods 1951 to 1953 and 1986 to 1988. During the 1951 to 1953 period, beta radioactivity and, most likely, water temperatures in the Hanford Reach were significantly higher downstream than upstream, while dissolved oxygen and sulfate were significantly lower. The increased beta radioactivity and temperature downstream were due to the discharge of cooling water from five single-purpose production reactors then operating on the Hanford Site. The last production reactor closed in January 1971. During the 1986 to 1988 period, beta radioactivity and water temperatures were similar upstream and downstream, but nitrate nitrogen had become significantly higher downstream. Comparison of 1951 to 1953 with 1986 to 1988 showed, as expected, that beta radioactivity was much lower today, at essentially background levels. Phosphate in the Hanford Reach had decreased significantly over the 35 year interval, while biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate nitrogen had increased. These changes, while detectable statistically, were relatively small. Today, the quality of water in the Hanford Reach remains well within Washington State standards for Class A waters. Occasional low pH values, which appear to orginate upriver, violate these standards.

Environmental monitoring at Hanford, Washington, USA: a brief site history and summary of recent results

Nuclear and nonnuclear industrial and research activities have been conducted on the Hanford reservation since 1943. Materials originating from these activities may enter the surrounding environment through releases of airborne and liquid effluents and solid wastes. Concern about the environmental effects of these releases has evolved over the past four decades into a comprehensive onsite and offsite monitoring program. Today, environmental monitoring to assess potential impacts of released materials includes field sampling and chemical and physical analyses of air, ground and surface water, fish and wildlife, soil, vegetation, and foodstuffs. This paper reviews the history of Hanford operations and summarizes the current environmental monitoring program and its major findings. Mathematical models based on monitoring data show that radiation doses to people living near the Hanford site are well below existing regulatory standards. Only trace amounts of radionuclides from Hanford have been detected in the offsite environment.

Mixing and separation device for continuous flow bioassays with coal liquids.

Efforts to increase United States use of synthetic fuels, such as those derived from coal liquefaction, require examining potential toxicity of coal liquids that may eventually be released to the aquatic environment. Evaluation of potential long-term ecological effects must consider organism response to chronic exposure regimes. Since maintaining constant levels of the water soluble fraction (WSF) of coal liquids is complicated by presence of easily biodegradable phenolic compounds (DEGRAEVE et al. 1980), and since problems with low oxygen levels may occur with static tests, flow-through test systems must be employed. A serious problem with continuous flow studies of crude petroleum oils has been obtaining a consistent WSF. The test solution may contain dispersed oil and the character of the WSF may change during the testing period (CRADDOCK 1977). Although, batch-prepared WSFs of solvent refined coal (SRC) II materials were adequate for short-term continuous flow or static tests, a system was needed that would generate a stable WSF for long-term continuous flow bioassays. We developed a method to generate a reproducible stock solution for exposing aquatic organisms to sublethal concentrations of coal liquid WSFs under flowthrough conductions. Our apparatus extracts a primary WSF from a 2.9:1 blend of middle to heavy SRC II distillate, while separating and removing dispersed and floating insoluble materials. The WSF is efficiently extracted, thus reducing costs associated with waste treatment of the potentially hazardous materials. METHODS

Coal liquefaction process development: Solving potential health and environmental problems

Chemists, biologists, ecologists, and engineers have been developing a data-base to identify and evaluate risks to humans and the environment and strategies to minimize potential risks from large-scale coal liquefaction. Coal-liquids produced by various processes and under various stages of design and operating conditions have been screened for potential health and environmental effects. Toxicologically active materials have been fractionated and chemical constituents of biologically active fractions have been identified, and the environmental fate of problematic agents is being determined.

Effective breeding size and the adaptive significance of color polymorphism in the cricket frog (Acris crepitans) in Illinois, U.S.A.

A three year field study was conducted to investigate the adaptive significance of color polymorphism in the cricket frog, Acris crepitans, in Illinois, U. S. A. Effective population breeding sizes were determined at seven different locations. Population characteristics in Illinois were compared with those from Texas. The three color morphs appear to be of equal survival value for cricket frogs in Illinois. Although strong selection may occur in Texas, small effective breeding sizes suggest that chance plays a major role in determining color morph frequencies in Illinois.