Summary report on water quality, sediment and water chemistry data for water and sediment samples collected from source areas to Melton Hill and Watts Bar reservoirs

Abstract

Contamination of surface water and sediments in the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir (CR/WBR) system as a result of past and present activities by the US Department of Energy (DOE) on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and also activities by non-ORR facilities are being studied by the Clinch River Environmental Restoration Program (CR-ERP). Previous studies have documented the presence of heavy metals, organics, and radionuclides in the sediments of reservoirs in the vicinity. In support of the CR-ERP, during the summer of 1991, TVA collected and evaluated water and sediment samples from swimming areas and municipal water intakes on Watts Bar Reservoir, Melton Hill Reservoir (which is considered part of the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir System), and Norris Reservoir, which was considered a source of less-contaminated reference or background data. Results of this study indicated that the levels of contamination in the samples from the Watts Bar and Melton Hill Reservoir sites did not pose a threat to human health. Despite the numerous studies, until the current work documented by this report, relatively few sediment or water samples had been collected by the CR-ERP in the immediate vicinity of contaminant point sources. This work focused on water and sediment samples taken from points immediately downstream from suspected effluent point sources both on and off the ORR. In August and September, 1994, TVA sampled surface water and sediment at twelve locations in Melton Hill and Watts Bar Reservoirs. Eleven of the sampling sites were selected based on existence of pollutant discharge permits, known locations of hazardous waste sites, and knowledge of past practices. The twelfth sample site was selected as a relatively less contaminated reference site for comparison purposes.