Groundwater contamination from 90Sr is an environmental challenge posed to present and former nuclear weapons related sites. Traditional methods of extracting groundwater samples and performing laboratory analyses are expensive, time-consuming and induce significant disposal challenges. The authors present here a prototype counter capable of measuring 90Sr groundwater concentrations in-situ at or below the drinking water limit of 8 pCi/liter. The 90Y daughter of 90Sr produces high-energy electrons, which can create Cerenkov light. Photomultiplier tubes convert the Cerenkov light into an electronic pulse, which then undergoes signal processing with standard electronics. Strontium-90 concentrations near the drinking water limit can be measured in a matter of hours if it is in secular equilibrium with the 90Y daughter. The prototype counter is compact, can be deployed in an American Standard 6-inch, well while operated by a single person, and transmits the results to a central monitoring location.
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