Fate of 60Co at a sludge land application site

Vertical distributions of 60Co are determined in soil cores obtained from a 10-ha grassland, where anaerobically digested sludge was applied by surface spraying from 1986 to 1995 on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation. These results, along with historical application records, are used to estimate vertical-migration rates and perform a mass balance. The presence of 60Co results solely from the sludge-application process. Soil, vegetation, and surface-water samples were collected. Eleven soil cores were sectioned into 3-cm increments and analyzed by gamma-ray spectrometry. No 60Co was detected in the vegetation or water samples. The downward migration rate of 60Co in the upper 15 cm of soil ranged from 0.50 to 0.73 cm/yr. About 98%, 0.020 ± 0.011 Bq/cm2, of 60Co remained in the upper 15 cm of soil, which compared favorably with the expected 60Co activity based on historical records of 0.019 ± 0.010 Bq/cm2.