Monday, May 7, 2012
When uranium and radon are detected in groundwater, there is often public controversy as to whether the uranium is present naturally, or is rather a consequence of uranium mining activity in the area. In South Texas there are 26 closed and 4 operating uranium mines. The purpose of the study was to conduct an evaluation of the groundwater quality near a uranium in-situ recovery (ISR) mining operation. Parameters evaluated in fifty private wells included radon-222, fluoride, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, conductivity, dissolve oxygen, temperature and alkalinity. The results have shown that 50% of the wells had radon concentrations below 300 pCi/L, 46% had radon concentrations between 307 and 4000 pCi/L, and 4% had radon concentrations above the AMCL of 4000 pCi/L. There was no correlation between measured radon concentrations and distance or direction from the mining site. The measured parameters will be compared with the results of a previous USGS surveys in the region conducted in the1970s.