No movement of radioactivity in local waters
For the tenth consecutive year, sampling of groundwater wells and springs downgradient of the Nevada National Security Site has shown there has been no movement of tritium in the water, a key finding as officials continue to study the effects of historic nuclear experiments at what was once the Nevada Test Site.
The results came as a part of Nye County’s Tritium Sampling and Monitoring Program, better known as TSaMP, which is funded through a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE). The program launched in 2015 and has continued to test water in areas that would see the first contamination if radioactive materials begin to make their way into community water supplies, primarily locations in and around Beatty and Amargosa Valley.
“The 2024 TSaMP sampled 10 core locations – nine wells and one spring – plus an additional 10 select locations – eight wells and two springs,” Nye County Geoscientist John Klenke explained for the Pahrump Valley Times. “Samples were analyzed by Radiation Safety Engineering… In addition to the location samples, four duplicates and four blanks were analyzed to meet quality assurance/quality control requirements. Results for all 20 samples, plus the eight quality assurance/control samples, came back as non-detects.”
The reason these “non-detects” are crucial comes down to the nature of tritium. Nuclear explosions generate an assortment of radionuclides but one of the most abundant is this chemical. In addition, tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, making it readily reactive to oxygen and thus, it can easily replace hydrogen in water molecules. Because tritium becomes a constituent of water itself, it is highly mobile and therefore, it acts as an early-warning system for scientists. The presence of tritium would indicate the movement of other, more hazardous, radioactive nuclides.
The samples tested under the 2024 program were taken between November 11 and December 19 last year. These included two Nye County Early Warning Drilling Program wells, three Nye County Groundwater Evaluation Program wells, three DOE National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office wells, four community wells, five private wells and three private springs.
“With the completion of the AngloGold Ashanti’s North Bullfrog large-scale pump test, the two Nye County GWE ‘core wells’ were again available for sampling, so surrogate locations were no longer necessary,” Klenke noted. “However, it was necessary to continue sampling the Ruby’s Store Well as a nearby surrogate for the ‘Never Give Up’ core well, given that the property has been abandoned, which may well be the case for the foreseeable future.”
As it stands today, 2025 is set to be the final year of sampling under the DOE grant that expires August 16, 2026. However, Klenke said the county is currently in discussions with the DOE regarding a possible grant extension, noting that the funding also covers the cost of Nye County representatives participating in preemptive reviews of relevant studies and models that are being used to advance the closure of the former underground nuclear test areas.
For more information on the TSaMP program contact Klenke at 775-727-7727 or email JKlenke@NyeCountyNV.gov
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
