A detailed examination of the chemical, hydrological, and geological properties influencing the mobility of {sup 222}radon and parent radionuclides in groundwater

This study examines hydrological, geological and geochemical controls on {sup 222}Rn variability in groundwater in the Front Range of Colorado. Specific objectives of the study are: (1) to determine if there are any correlations or spatial relationships between {sup 222}Rn and the geological, geochemical and hydrogeological data; and (2) to determine whether it is geochemically reasonable for observed {sup 222}Rn levels to be the result of U and {sup 226}Ra accumulation by fracture filling minerals. Domestic-water wells were sampled and tested to determine the local aquifer characteristics and aqueous geochemistry. A multivariate and staged approach was used in the data analyses. Analysis of variance tests were used to test for relationships between {sup 222}Rn and the lithology of the study wells. The effects of rock-type were then removed from the chemical and hydrological variables by subtracting the mean value for each rock-type from each of the measured values within that rock-type (a residual transformation). Linear and linear multiple regression techniques were used to test for expected relationships between residual {sup 222}Rn levels and these variables, and stepwise linear regressions were used to test for any unforeseen multivariate relationships in the data. Correlograms, distance-weighted average and inverse-distance-weighted average predictions were used to look for spatial relationships in the data