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Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River?
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trburl



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 196

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 3:16 am    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

Can someone please explain why snowmelt makes it from mountain top to river in a matter of months, but a radioactive plume will take millenia driven hy the same force of water?
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WMP



Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 671

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 9:51 am    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

Hi Vic,

Columbia River is really clean compared to Candlestick... I learned to jibe at the stick and it wasnt pretty. Much cleaner here in the Gorge than the Delta... you can taste pesticides in Delta water this time of year. Ive not had any reaction to the Gorge water except when the pollen is floating on top of the water (last month), my eyes itch a bit.

July should be fine as long as theres no major thunderstorm/showers, cause theres a huge cow poop farm out near Boardman... and they do spray the apple trees in the Hood River Valley.

-- Pete
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Windlover



Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 623

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 8:08 pm    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

That area of the river is some great sailing on the WA side, but you are right about the toxic mess down there. Mainly due to the papermills and the aluminum plant in Longview. They are spewing out a huge amount of pollutants into the river.
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Windlover



Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 623

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 8:13 pm    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

Well, for one thing, a radioactive plume as you call it, is the term for an airborne release. If it were to be released into the water, it would be called a spill.

As for why it would take so long to get to the Gorge (if it started at Hanford), as mentioned before, radioactive isotopes are heavy particles and sink fairly quickly. They would also have to travel about 200 miles and cross two dams to get to the main sailing areas of the Gorge. So, the chance of someone getting contaminated by radioactive material while sailing in the Gorge is just about nil.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 9:36 pm    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

Yup. The toxic plume 60 Minutes is talking about is in the ground, not flowing freely down a river. And its not an underground river; its just contaminated moisture, often a heavy sludge. Its source was seepage from underground tanks, which has for the most part been stopped.

Mike \m/
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slynch



Joined: 15 Mar 1998
Posts: 73

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2006 10:06 pm    Post subject: RE: Toxic Soup Leaching into Columbia River? Reply with quote

Snowmelt travels on the surface as runoff and is fast, while the radioactive plume is underground and travels slower. It has to seep thru dirt and rock to get to the river.
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