0 5 5 a Oo 3 } | |8 _ o & 10- 4 =a Sel. a 15 _ 20 20 0 4. with some modifica- A complete description of these modifications and our newer separation technique is in press. Precipitation from the water samples with ferric hydroxide or manganese | | 10 20 30 Salinity — parts per thousand Fig. lished procedure tions. | a) the suspended samples using a pub6 . Salinity profiles of dioxide scavenged any plutonium radionuclides, 281 A, 6005, 207, Looe 3 or rare-earth radionuclides. 3 This groundwater column at precipitate was FPWR 3. then counted on low-— level gamma spectrometers for quanti- tative assay of the latter gammato permit rapid horizontal recharge. The bottom water, of course, was brackish and smelled very strongly of hydrogen sulfide; considerable it contained a amount of black sus- pended material of unknown composition. All of were the 15-gal water samples returned to the emitting radionuclides in the sample. 155 In 55-litre samples, Eu, 125 detected Sb at 3 or 241 Levels detection limits: 6065, 2075 Am were not above our lowest 0.12, 0.10, 0.15, 0.12, and 0.10 pCi/litre, respectively, for those radionuclides. The filter samples were dry-ashed Lawrence Liver- more Laboratory for processing. and counted on gamma spectrometers; (The samples for chemical analysis only were sent to Dr. R. Buddemeier the University of Hawaii.) ration technique was used GIO, ) 137, , Pu, at One sepato isolate of water salinity. Standardized mixed carrier solutions Stable carriers of Cs, Sb, 236 rare earths, and either 243 Pu and Am) were added acidified samples. Co, Bi, Pu or to the The radionuclides were separated from the water and wes cia: we epeee we particulate phase were below the limits listed above. The ashed filters were then pro- : . cessed to separate and analyze Pu 90 and SY. (containing Sr, The other gamma-emitting radionuclides in the and other radio- nuclides from all samples regardless "og was detected. No attempt was made to separate or determine Fe or any beta- ok . . 147 emitting radionuclides such as Pm L151 or sm, which are known to be pre- sent in environmental samples from Bikini’ and fnewetak? Atoll.