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A Geohydrological Appraisal of the Vaalputs Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in Namaqualand, South Africa

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A Geohydrological Appraisal of the Vaalputs Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in Namaqualand, South Africa PER 165 October 1988 A GEOHYDROLOGICAL APPRAISAL OF THE VAALPUTS RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY IN NAMAQUALAND, SOUTH AFRICA by Mannie Levin ATOMIC ENERGY CORPORATION OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED PRETORIA THIS DOCUMENT MAY NOT BE COPIED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER PER-165 A GEOHYDROLOGICAL APPRAISAL OF THE VAALPUTS RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY IN NAMAQUALAND. SOUTH AFRICA by MAMIE LEVIN Thesis accepted for the PhD degree in the Faculty of Science, Department of Geohydrology at the University of the Orange Free State 1988 Promoter: Prof. J.F. Botha Co-promoter: Prof. J. Kirchner DIVISION OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ATOMIC ENERGY CORPORATION OF SOUTH AFRICA, LIMITED P 0 BOX 582, PRETOniA, 0001 OCTOBER 1988 ISBN 0 86960 862 2 CONTENTS Page Samevatting (i) Abstract (iv) Acknowledgements (vii) List of Figures (viii) List of Tables (xix) CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Purpose and Scope 2 CHAPTER 2 STUDY AREA 4 2.1 Site Location 4 2.2 Physiography 4 2.3 Population Distribution 7 2.4 Land Use 8 2.5 Vegetation 8 2.6 Climate 8 CHAPTER 3 GEOLOGY 9 3.1 Basement Geology 9 3.1.1 Namaqualand Hetamorphic Complex 9 3.1.1.1 Stratigraphy 9 3.1.1.2 Structural geology 10 3.1.2 Karoo Sequence 11 3.1.3 Kimberlite and related intrusives 11 3.2 Surficial Deposits 11 3.2.1 Dasdap Formation 13 3.2.2 Vaalputs Formation 14 3.2.3 Gordonia Formation 19 CHAPTER H SURFACE HYDROLOGY 21 4.1 Run-off 21 4.2 Evapotranspiration and Percolation 24 Page CHAPTER 5 GEOHYDROLOGY OF THE UNSATURATED 3i ZONE 5.1 The Fundamental Law of Fluid Statics 32 5.2 Surface Tension and Capillary Rise 34 5.3 The Porous Continuum 36 5.4 Moisture Distribution in a Porous Medium 41 5.5 Total Soil Water Potential 43 5.6 Relationship Between Water Content 6 44 and the Matric Potential ¥ 5.7 Hydraulic Conductivity 46 5.8 Bulk Density 48 5.9 Soil Moisture 49 5.9.1 Water potential sensors 49 5.9.2 Neutron probe 51 5.10 Soil Moisture Studies at Vaalputs 53 5.10.1 Laboratory determination of moisture 53 content and retention curves 5.10.2 Field monitoring of moisture content 54 5.10.3 The hydraulic properties of the 63 various rock types 5.11 Natural Isotopes in the Soil Moisture 66 5.11.1 Environmental tritium 67 5.11.1.1 Method of sampling and 68 determination 5.11.1.2 Tritium results 70 5.11.2 Stable isotope 180 71 5.11 2.1 Method of sampling and 73 determination 5.11.2.2 180 results 73 5.12 Dispersivity 74 5.13 Distribution Coefficients 76 5.14 Soil Chemistry 79 íage CHAPTER 6 GE0HYDR0L06Y OF THE SATURATED 84 ZONE 6.1 Mature of the Aquifers 86 6.2 Depth to the Piezometric Surface 18 6.3 Elevation of the Piezometric Surface 90 6.4 Transmissivity and Storage Characteristics 96 6.4.1 Test pumping 98 6.4.2 Packer tests 104 6.5 Conclusions 108 CHAPTER 7 HYDROGEOCHEMISTRY ;i3 7.1 Regional Hydrogeochemical Setting of the 113 Disposal Site 7.1.1 Water chemistry ">, » 7.1.1.1 pH and temperature IV 7.1.1.2 Salinity lit 7.1.1.3 Major elements 123 7.1.1.4 Trace elements 127 7.1.2 Natural isotopes in the ground waUer 131 7.2 Chemical Equilibrium of the Ground Water 137 7.3 Geochemical Processes 142 7.3.1 Precipitation reactions 146 7.3.2 Complex formation 154 7.3.3 Oxidation-reduction reactions 160 7.3.3.1 Redox reactions involving iron 161 7.3.3.2 Redox reactions involving 163 uranium 7.3.4 Ion exchange and adsorption 164 7.3.4.1 Ion exchange 164 7.3.4.2 Adsorption 168 7.3.5 Attenuation of radionuclide at the 1.6 Vaalputs disposal site. Page CHAPTER 8 GROUND WATER MODELLING i?9 8.1 Site Specific Modelling 182 8.1.1 Description of the model 184 8.1.2 Discussion of results 192 8.1.2.1 The flow equation 192 8.1.2.2 The mass transport equation 192 8.1.3 Conclusions 192 8.2 Regional Modelling 193 8.2.1 Description of the model 194 8.2.2 Discussion of the results 196 8.2.2.1 The flow equation 196 8.2.2.2 The mass transport equation 197 8.2.3 Conclusions 205 CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSIONS 212 REFERENCES 218 APPENDIX A Water level data used in regional modelling. APPENDIX B Chloride concentrations used in regional modelling. APPENDIX C Chemical analyses of geological material at Vaalputs. - i - SAMEVATTING Die Vaalputs Nasionale Fasiliteit vir die Wegdoening van Radioaktiewe Afval is geleë op die Boesmanlandplato in die dorre westelike deel van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Die terrein is geplaas naby die aansluitingspunt van drie rivierkoirane en binne die van die Koarivier wat 'n fossieldreinering is. Die geomorfologiese stabiliteit van die gebied word gereflekteer deur die sedimentêre akkumulasies van mid-tersiêre ouderdom (25 Ma) wat op die plato voorkom. Die todemgesteentes wat deel vorm van die Namakwalandse Metamorfe Kompleks bestaan hoofsaaklik uit granietgneis ingedring deur basiese noroto'iedintrusies. Die sedimentêre opeenvolging wat die wegdoenslote sal huisves, bestaan uit kleiagtige sedimente veryster en verkalk aan die bokant en bedek deur 'n dun lagie los rooi sand. Al die parameters benodig vir numeriese grondwatermodellering is bekom en 'n metodologie ontwikkel om die voginhoud van die kleilaa wat die wegdosningsterrein onderlê, te moniteer. Die geohidrologiese geskiktheid van die huisvestingsmateriaal, blyk daaruit dat die versadigde hidrouliese geleiding gemiddeld 10~ m.s" bedrae. Met behulp van natuurlike isotope is vasgestel dat reënwater nooit dieper as 3,5 m gedurende die af gel ope 50 jaar infiltreer het nie. Hierdie diepte is bevestig deur neutron,-^terleslngs na *n hoë reënval gedurende Desember 1985. Hierdie beperkte indringing kan teruggevoer word na die mineralogiese en chemiese samestelling van die sedimente. Die natriumryke karakter van die materiaal veroorsaak *n aansienlike afname in hidrouliese gel elding as gevolg van die dispersie deur die kollo'idale fraksie wanneer dit in kontak met reënwater kom. - ii - Die diepte na die piesometriese vlak onder die terrein is gemiddeld 55 m. Grondwater is beperk tot beide vertikale en horisontale krake en verweerde nate. Pomp- en pakstuktoetse het aangedui dat strukture oor lang afstande verbind kan wees. Sulke strukture hou verband met die regionale tel.toniek van die gebied met strekkingsrigtings hoofsaaklik suid-oos na noord-wes en suid-wes na noord-oos. Roorgate weg van hierdie strukture, self op relatief kort afstande, is soms heeltemal droog. Hierdie afwesigheid van waterdraende strukture oor die hele gebied suggereer dat die strukture omtrent vertikaal is. Bo die watervlak toon alle boorgate 'n hoë transmissiwiteit vanweê tall? horisontale krake in hierdie sone soos gesien in die boorkern. Die hoë transmissiwiteit van die waterdraende strukture onder die terrein en die plat piesometriese vlak word as voordelig beskou. In die geval van ernstige lekkasie van radionukliede wat die watervlak bereik, kan volgehoue uitpomp van grondwater, die piesometriese vlak laat daal om 'n kom-effek te skep. Difc sal verhoed dat kontaminasie privaatboorgate bereik. Die relatief plat hidrouliese gradient in die rigting van die Koarivier dui op lae vloeispoed van die grondwater. Regionale hidrogeochemie bevestig dat regionale vloei vanaf die terrein na die Koadreinering, stadig en amper stagnant is. Hierdie observasie word ondersteun deur natuur±ike isotoopdata wat 'n konvensionele ouderdom van 10 000 jaar vir die grondwater onder die terrein, aandui. Dit is verder aangedui dat die kwaliteit van die grondwater in verband gebring kan word met die wateroplosbare soute in die sedimente. Die grondwater is versadig ten opsigte van kalsiet en soms gips. Die water is verder in chemiese ewewig met kaoliniet en Na-montmorilloniet. - ill - Die chemiese toestánde is gunstig vir die demping van enige radionuklied lekkasie. Cs word onomkeerbaar geadsorbeer deur 90 die illietkleifraksie. Sr word verwyder deur presipitasie as SrS0A en SrC0_ in die grondvog en as SrCO, in die grondvater. 60 Co word volledig verwyder uit beide die grondvog en die 3+ grcidvater as CoCO,. Enige kobalt teenwoordig as Co word ook volledige neergeslaan as Co(OH),. Uraan toon lae Kd-waardes as gevolg van sy neiging om karbonaatkomplekse te vorm. 'n Mate van fiksering sal deur adsorpsie plaasvind en die moontlikheid bestaan dat dit lokaal kan presipiteer as karnotiet. Die beweeglikheid van uraan is egter nie 'n groot bekommernis nie aangesien dit slegs in spoor hoeveelhede in die afval teenwoordig sal wees. Numeriese modellering voorspel dat in die onversadigde sone geen noemenswaardige beweging sal plaasvind onder heersende toestande nie. Deur 'n uiterste kontaminant soos chloried te gebruik is met regionale modellering aangetoon dat selfs onder katastrofiese toestande, die kontaminant nie buite die grense van die terrein sal versprei nie. Die finale gevolgtrekking is dus, dat in geval van 'n lekkasie die sisteem so stadig sal reageer dat voldoende tyd beskikbaar sal wees om die voorgestelde korrektiewe stappe te neem. Die terrein is dus geohidrologies geskik vir die wegdoening van laagaktiewe radioaktiewe afval. - iv - ABSTRACT The Vaalputs National Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility is located on the Bushmanland Plateau in the arid western part of the Republic of South Africa. The disposal site is situated close to the junction of three river bpsins and within that of the Koa River which is a fossil drainage. The geomorphological stability of the area is reflected by the presence of sedimentary accumulations of mid-Tertiary age (25Ma) on the Plateau. The basement rocks, which form part of the Namaqualand Metamorphic Complex, consist mainly of granite-gneiss intruded by basic noritoid bodies.
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