Concentrations of Nine Trace Metals in Ground Water at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

Mann, L; Knobel, L

Water was sampled from 81 wells in 1987 and examined for trace metals. Results may apply to Big Southern CRMO (Craters of the Moon National Monument) EXPA (Park Expansion Areas). Geographic location:Idaho National Engineering Laboratory site. Reconnaissance – level sampling for nine trace metals in ground water was conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory during June to November 1987. Water samples from 81 wells that tap the Snake River Plain aquifer and that are equipped with dedicated pumps were collected and analyzed for arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver; one sample from a discontinuous perched-water zone was collected with a thief sampler and analyzed for beryllium. The ground-water samples were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Laboratory in Arvada, Colorado. Methods used to collect the water samples and quality assurances instituted for sampling program are described in detail. Except for beryllium and chromium, the concentration of the trace metals in water from the 82 wells were less than their respective maximum contaminant level for drinking water established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The maximum concentration of beryllium was 0.7 ug/L (micrograms per liter) which is near the reporting level; no maximum contaminant level has been established for beryllium. The chromium concentrations in water from wells that tap the Snake River Plain aquifer ranged from less than 1 to 280 ug/L. Water from 2 of the 81 wells contained 50 ug/L or more, which is the maximum contaminant level for chromium; in water from the 30 production wells, the largest chromium concentration was 20 ug/L.

Concentrations of Nine Trace Metals in Ground Water at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

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