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The Inpluence of Borehole Flushing on the Concentration of Microbes in Granitic Groundwaters.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

S. Stroes-Gascoyne ,
M. Gascoyne ,
C.J. Hamon ,
D. Jain  and
P. Vilks
S. Stroes-Gascoyne
Affiliation:
AECL Research, Vhiteshell Laboratories, Pinava, Manitoba, Canada, ROE 1L0.
M. Gascoyne
Affiliation:
AECL Research, Vhiteshell Laboratories, Pinava, Manitoba, Canada, ROE 1L0.
C.J. Hamon
Affiliation:
AECL Research, Vhiteshell Laboratories, Pinava, Manitoba, Canada, ROE 1L0.
D. Jain
Affiliation:
Ontario Hydro Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X6.
P. Vilks
Affiliation:
AECL Research, Vhiteshell Laboratories, Pinava, Manitoba, Canada, ROE 1L0.
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Abstract

A number of groundvater parameters have been studied at AECL’s Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in support of the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. The concentration of microbes in groundvater is of interest as they may modify the transport of dissolved radionuclides. Preliminary results from an earlier study suggested that the microbe concentrations may be affected by the extent of borehole flushing prior to sampling. A study was therefore carried out in which packer-isolated intervals of two boreholes intersecting a fracture zone at 250-m depth in the URL were flushed and sampled on two occasions at various flow rates. High initial microbial concentrations (most likely due to leaching of nutrients from sample tubes) decreased rapidly as flushing progressed, suggesting enhanced microbial growth near the top of the borehole zone. Also, a tenfold increase in flow rate during flushing caused an increase in microbial concentrations in the groundwater of one of the boreholes, concurrent with an increase in total particle count. This suggests that particulate and biofilm material may be flushed out of the fracture zone at this particular location.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 333: Symposium V – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XVII , 1993 , 693
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

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