In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated zone hydrology at a site in the Amargosa Desert near Beatty, Nevada, as part of the USGS Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program.

Over the years, USGS investigations at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) have provided long-term benchmark information about the hydraulic characteristics and soil-water movement for both natural-site conditions and simulated waste-site conditions in an arid environment.  In 1995, as a result of finding elevated concentrations of tritium and carbon-14 in the unsaturated zone beneath the ADRS, the scope of research was broadened to include the study of processes affecting transport of contaminants through the unsaturated zone. The ADRS was incorporated into the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program in 1997. Research at the site is a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort that involves scientists from research institutes, universities, National laboratories, and the USGS.

For more information on the ADRS, please contact: