Research at Little forest legacy site
ANSTO is responsible for the Little Forest Legacy Site (LFLS) located within the ANSTO Buffer Zone boundary. This site, formerly known as the Little Forest Burial Ground (LFBG), was used by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) during the 1960’s to dispose of waste containing low levels of radioactivity and beryllium oxide (non-radioactive) in a series of shallow trenches. There has been regular monitoring of the site since 1966 and the results have been reported in ANSTO’s environmental monitoring reports.
A science research project at the site is being implemented by a large team of ANSTO scientists, in conjunction with a number of researchers from several universities. The project aims to carry out detailed studies of the status of the site by:
- Assessing the available information and monitoring results for LFLS
- Sampling and analysis of groundwaters, soils and vegetation
- Characterising the site in detail using a range of scientific techniques
- Installing an experimental trench facility at the site to investigate the chemical and hydrogeological behaviour of the surface layers near the trenched area
- Assessing possible remediation options for the site
The research applies advanced analytical techniques, such as accelerator mass spectrometry, which have not been employed before in the routine environmental monitoring carried out at the LFLS. The results of this work are being reported, where appropraite, in international scientific journals. The project will also be summarised in various ANSTO reports (including the regular environmental monitoring reports). The following report, which is available on ANSTO's repository, provides a background to the research which is being undertaken.
Payne, T. E. Background Report on the Little Forest Burial Ground Legacy Waste Site; ANSTO/E-780; Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation: 2012
