Attenuation Length of light in the CHIPS-M Water Cherenkov Detector

The water at the proposed site of the CHIPS water Cherenkov detector has been studied to measure its attenuation length as a function of filtering time. A 3.2 m vertical column was filled with the water from the Wentworth Pit, proposed site of the CHIPS deployment. Results consistent with attenuation lengths of up to 100m have been observed at this wavelength with filtration and UV sterilization alone.