All levels of tritium measured in the Fermilab cooling ponds and in Indian Creek are well below federal water standards for tritium, and Fermilab is taking every possible step to keep the levels of tritium as low as reasonably achievable. Samples taken in Indian Creek and in the Fermilab cooling ponds on December 12, 2005 and analyzed by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency have confirmed the accuracy of Fermilab's measurement system. Fermilab monitors the creeks leaving the Fermilab site and will continue to display Ferry Creek monitoring results on this page. A second page provides more information, and we have posted an aerial view of Ferry Creek as well.

About the graph: A solid dot appears on every day in which a sample has been taken and analyzed. For samples in which a level of tritium above the limit of detection has been measured, the uncertainty of the measurement is indicated by an error bar attached to the solid dot. Samples with no detectable level of tritium are represented by a solid dot without error bar at the bottom of the graph.

Footnote: A picocurie is the unit used to specify how many tritium particles in a water sample decay into helium particles each second. Standard tests can detect levels of tritium in water that are larger than about 1 picocurie per milliliter.