Groundwater transport of radium-226 and uranium from port granby waste management site to Lake Ontario

Abstract

A finite element model is developed for delineating radioactive contaminant plumes via groundwater. The model is then used to predict the migration of ²²⁶Ra and U from the near-shore Port Granby waste management site to Lake Ontario. The model runs are made simulating either one or two stratigraphic layers and simulating varying degrees of anisotropy in each layer. The model-predicted ²²⁶Ra and U concentrations are found to be in good agreement with those actually observed. Recovery phase analysis predicts that the continuous migration, via groundwater, of both contaminants toward Lake Ontario is likely to persist even after the waste is removed from the site.