Soil and vegetation samples have been collected on and around the Hanford Site for more than 50 years. Soil and vegetation sampling compliments air monitoring and provides information on long term accumulation in soil and short term releases on vegetation. Consequently, a large database exists that thoroughly documents onsite and offsite concentrations of man-made radionuclides in soil and natural vegetation at specific locations. Because the current site mission is environmental restoration and clean up, and routine plutonium production operations at the site have ceased, the frequency of soil and perennial vegetation surveillance has decreased. There are several additional reasons for reduced soil and perennial vegetation sampling. Man-made radionuclides with short half-lives have decayed to stable isotopes and are no longer present. Moreover, radionuclide releases from the Hanford Site in recent years have been small, and therefore, baseline radionuclide concentrations have not changed appreciably for a number of years. Because airborne releases have decreased and only radionuclides with relatively long half-lives presently are found in soil and vegetation, sitewide environmental surveillance sampling of soil and vegetation can be less frequent.

The current sampling scheme requires soil sampling every 3 to 5 years. Soil and Vegetation was most recently collected in 2004. Additional information is available in the 2006 Hanford Site Environmental Report.

For more information, contact:

Brad G. Fritz
Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
902 Battelle Boulevard, MSIN K6-75
P.O. Box 999 Richland, Washington 99352

Phone: Phone: (509) 371-7119
Fax: Fax: (509) 371-7083

E-mail: Brad Fritz