Conceptual Model of Primary Mercury Sources, Transport Pathways, and Flux at the Y-12 Complex and Upper East Fork Poplar Creek, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Abstract

The interactions between the key processes that control the fate and transport of mercury in the sediments, groundwater, and stream water within the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee are extremely complicated, and many aspects are not well understood. In complex environments such as that at the Y-12 Complex, conceptual models are frequently developed to aid in visualization and understanding of the dynamic nature of the hydrologic, geochemical, and physical environment. These conceptual models represent the attempt of scientists to integrate known data in an internally consistent manner to understand processes that control the fate and transport of contaminants. Over the many years of environmental investigation at Y-12, a number of conceptual models have been developed to identify and define various technical processes at a variety of scales. Many of these models have value today as a historical summary of previous modeling efforts and are provided in Appendix A of this report. The main purpose of the activity described in this report was to develop a conceptual model that delineates the location of mercury sources, transport pathways, and flux based on the most recent data and knowledgeable scientific interpretation.