Matrix Approach to Contaminant Transport Potential

Abstract

A rapid, visual evaluation technique has been developed to rank contaminant transport potential at potential release sites (PRSs) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The so-called “matrix approach” is used to quantify the factors contributing to pollutant migration via surface water processes, based on the results of a 10–20-min field investigation. Since there are more than 2,000 such sites at LANL, this process allows operators and regulators to focus their limited resources on the sites representing the greatest environmental concern.