The transfer and fate of chromium from cooling tower drift to terrestrial ecosystems were quantified at the Department of Energy's uranium enrichment facility at Paducah, Kentucky. Chromium concentrations in plant materials (fescue grass) decreased with increasing distance from the cooling tower, ranging from 251 ± 19 ppm at 15 meters to 0.52 ± 0.07 ppm at 1500 meters. The site of drift contamination, size characteristics and elemental content of drift particles were determined using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray analysis capabilities. Results indicate that elemental content in drift water (mineral residue) may not be equivalent to the content in the recirculating cooling water of the tower. This hypothesis is contrary to basic assumptions in calculating drift emissions. A laboratory study simulating throughfall from 1 to 6 inches of rain suggested that there are more exchange sites associated with litter than live foliage. Leachate from each one-inch throughfall simulant removed 3% of the drift mass from litter compared to 7 to 9% from live foliage. Results suggest that differences in retention are related to chemical properties of the drift rather than physical lodging of the particle residue. To determine the potential for movement of drift derived chromium to surface streams, soil-water samplers (wells) were placed along a distance gradient to Little Bayou Creek. Samples from two depths following rainstorms revealed the absence of vertical or horizontal movement with maximum concentrations of 0.13 ppb at 50 meters from the tower. Preliminary model estimates of drift deposition are compared to deposition measurements. Isopleths of the predicted deposition are useful to identify areas of maximum drift transport in the environs of the gaseous diffusion plant.
