Soil Monitoring for Plutonium at the Savannah River Plant

Since the amount of plutonium in undisturbed soils reflects the cumulative deposition from all sources, both onplant and offplant soils have been collected and analyzed for 238Pu and 239Pu. Results show a background deposition level of approximately 2.0 mCi/km2 offsite and over most of the plant. This level is well within the range of deposition noted in the southeastern United States and indicates that offsite deposits due to SRP operations are small compared to background. Only samples taken within a 2-km radius of each of the two chemical separations areas show higher levels of plutonium. This elevation indicates some plant contribution. To obtain the above information, new techniques in sample collection and preparation were developed which were comparable with other laboratories in the country. An analytical procedure, involving an anion exchange resin column, was also developed to determine the two plutonium isotopes of interest and to insure increased sensitivity when working with the low level environmental samples.