Behavior of uranium along Jucar River (Eastern Spain): Determination of234U/238U and235U/238U ratios

The uranium concentration and the²³⁴U/²³⁸U,²³⁵U/²³⁸U activity ratios were studied in water samples from Jucar River, using low-level -spectrometry. The effects of pH, temperature and salinity were considered and more detailed sampling was done in the neighbourhood of Cofrentes Nuclear Plant (Valencia, Spain). Changes were observed in the uranium concentration with the salinity and the²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio was found to vary with pH. Leaching and dilution, which depend on pH and salinity, are the probable mechanisms for these changes in the concentration of uranium and the activity ratios.