A Comparison of Ground Water Monitoring Data from CERCLA and RCRA Sites

Ground water quality data generated during the investigation of 334 hazardous waste disposal sites were used to contrast the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) monitoring. programs. The minimum RCRA-required network of four wells was equaled or exceeded at 94 percent of the 156 RCRA sites and 70 percent of the 178 CERCLA sites in the data base. A sampling frequency of four events per year or more was used at 60 percent of the RCRA sites compared to only 24 percent at the CERCLA sites. CERCLA records compiled to date indicate that 480 compounds have been detected and another 220 compounds have been tentatively identified in ground water in the vicinity of hazardous waste disposal sites. However, the composite data from 123 RCRA site monitoring programs only indicates the presence of 100 chemical substances. The most significant discrepancy in the RCRA detection monitoring program is that it only generates data on three of the 20 organic contaminants that have been most frequently detected during the CERCLA hazardous waste disposal site investigations. Modification of the current RCRA program to include routine analysis for volatile organic compounds would correct this weakness.     

EPA's Approach to Evaluating and Cleaning Up Ground Water Contamination at Superfund Sites

EPA's approach for developing, evaluating, and selecting ground water response actions at Superfund sites with contaminated ground water involves a series of key decisions to support necessary actions. These actions include the following:
Planning how the site will be managed
Determining data needs
Determining remedial action objectives
Developing alternatives
Selecting and implementing the remedy.
The key decisions should reflect a policy and decision-making approach developed within the framework of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA 1980) as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA 1986) and program policies to implement these acts. This paper outlines a flexible, iterative process, described in detail in the Guidance on Remedial Actions for Contaminated Ground Water at Superfund Sites (U.S. EPA 1988), by which ground water remedies can be identified, evaluated, selected, and implemented at Superfund sites beginning with initial site investigation tasks and ending with evaluation of implemented actions. Proper consideration of the factors presented in this paper should result in an efficient, effective procedure for making remedial action decisions for contaminated ground water that ensures protection of human health and the environment.     

A Case Study on the Evaluation and Implementation of Green and Sustainable Remediation Principles and Practices During a RCRA Corrective Action Cleanup

Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) principles and practices were incorporated into various phases of the remediation life cycle during a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action cleanup. GSR best management practices (BMPs) were identified and employed to the extent possible during the investigation, remedy evaluation, and remedy implementation phases of the cleanup. As part of the remedy evaluation phase, potential remedial alternatives were evaluated against GSR principles and practices to support the selection of a preferred remedial alternative. This included the identification of inherent GSR similarities within the five existing RCRA balancing criteria and the development of a sixth new balancing criterion. The sixth criterion consisted of five relevant GSR categories, including consumption of resources and materials, CO₂ emissions, waste minimization and reuse, community benefit, and corporate image and corporate sustainability. Because of the lack of consensus, the constantly evolving nature, and limited guidance associated with GSR, various GSR‐related uncertainties and barriers were encountered. These uncertainties and barriers primarily related to the development of a GSR evaluation approach; contractual mechanisms; worker routines; regulatory agency support; and facility benefits, incentives, and recognition. In an effort to overcome some of these uncertainties and barriers, professional judgment was used to support various decision‐making processes. The GSR evaluation and implementation approaches considered are discussed in this case study as well as the various uncertainties and barriers encountered. In general, this case study provides a successful demonstration of GSR, given guidance limitations, facility permit constraints, complexities associated with site‐specific conditions, and a situation where the most feasible options were not considered the most green and sustainable (primarily because of their energy‐intensive nature, resource consumption, or waste generation).     

How Effective Is Thermal Remediation of DNAPL Source Zones in Reducing Groundwater Concentrations?

Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source areas containing chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) such as trichloroethene (TCE) and perchloroethene (PCE) often give rise to significant dissolved plumes in groundwater, leading to the closure of downgradient water supply wells and creating vapor intrusion issues in buildings located above the plume. Hydraulic containment via pump‐and‐treat has often been implemented to limit migration but must continue indefinitely. Removal of the DNAPL source area by means such as in situ thermal remediation (ISTR) offers the potential to diminish or end the need for hydraulic containment if the associated dissolved plume attenuates sufficiently following source removal. A question often raised is whether this occurs or whether the back diffusion of contaminants from secondary sources such as low‐permeability lenses in the dissolved plume precludes it. The authors conducted DNAPL source removal using ISTR at dozens of sites. This paper presents a compilation of cases—10 separate DNAPL source areas at five project sites—where data indicate that the implementation of a thorough ISTR in a DNAPL source area can result in the attenuation of the associated dissolved plume, such that in several cases, long‐standing pump‐and‐treat systems could be turned off. Our findings contrast with recent assertions that aggressive source remediation may not be justifiable because dissolved plume concentrations will not decline sufficiently. We show that the application of ISTR can result in the thorough removal of the DNAPL source, effective diminution of dissolved plume groundwater concentrations, and achievement of drinking water standards.     

Vadose Zone Monitoring: An Early Warning System

Currently, vadose zone monitoring is required under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) only at land treatment facilities. Contaminant leak detection through ground water monitoring is very important, but it is considered to be after the fact. Remedial action costs can be reduced considerably by monitoring the vadose zone for compounds that exhibit high rates of movement. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exhibit this property and are present at many municipal landfills, recycling facilities, and treatment storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs). Through the authors'personal experience, it has been noted that gaseous phase transport of VOCs through the vadose zone is at least an order of magnitude greater than advective transport of VOCs in ground water. Therefore, VOCs in soil gas are an effective early warning leak detection parameter. Downward movement of leachate can be intercepted by porous cup lysimeters. Attenuation in the vadose zone slows the apparent movement of contaminants; however, it is only a matter of time before leachate reaches the water table. The authors believe that soil-gas and pore-water monitoring should and eventually will be required at all RCRA sites. If vadose zone monitoring becomes an additional requirement under RCRA, both the facility owner and the taxpayer will benefit. During the interim, facility owners can benefit by employing vadose zone monitoring techniques coupled with either qualitative or quantitative chemical analyses.     

Experimental Study of the Effects of DNAPL Distribution on Mass Rebound

The release of stored dissolved contaminants from low permeability zones contributes to plume persistence beyond the time when dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) has completely dissolved. This is fundamental to successfully meeting acceptable low concentrations in groundwater that are driven by site‐specific cleanup goals. The study goals were to assess the role of DNAPL entrapment morphology on mass storage and plume longevity. As controlled field studies are not feasible, two‐dimensional (2D) test tanks were used to quantify the significance of mass loading processes from source dissolution and stored mass rebound. A simple two‐layer soil domain representing a high permeable formation sand overlying a zone of lower permeability sand was used in the tests. DNAPL mass depletion through dissolution was monitored via X‐ray photon attenuation, and effluent samples were used to monitor the plume. These data enabled analysis of the DNAPL distribution, the dissolved plume, and the dissolved phase distribution within the low permeability layer. Tests in an intermediate tank showed that mass storage contributes substantially to plume longevity. Detectable effluent concentrations persisted long after DNAPL depletion. The small tank results indicated that the DNAPL morphology influenced the flow field and caused distinctive transport mechanisms contributing to mass storage. Zones of high DNAPL saturation at the interface between the low and high permeability layers exhibited flow bypassing and diffusion dominated transport into the low permeability layer. In the absence of a highly saturated DNAPL zone near the soil interface the contaminant penetrated deeper into the low permeability layer caused by a combination of advection and diffusion.     

Remedial Options for Creosote- Contaminated Sites

Free-phase DNAPL recovery operations are becoming increasingly prevalent at creosote-contaminated aquifer sites. This paper illustrates the potential of both classical and innovative recovery methods. The UTCHEM multiphase flow and transport numerical simulator was used to predict the migration of creosote DNAPL during a hypothetical spill event, during a long-term redistribution after the spill, and for a variety of subsequent free-phase DNAPL recovery operations. The physical parameters used for the DNAPL and the aquifer in the model are estimates for a specific creosote DNAPL site. Other simulations were also conducted using physical parameters that are typical of a trichloroethene (TCE) DNAPL. Dramatic differences in DNAPL migration were observed between these simulations.     

ISCO for Groundwater Remediation: Analysis of Field Applications and Performance

A critical analysis of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) projects was performed to characterize situations in which ISCO is being implemented, how design and operating parameters are typically employed, and to determine the performance results being achieved. This research involved design of a database, acquisition and review of ISCO project information, population of the database, and analyses of the database using statistical methods. Based on 242 ISCO projects included in the database, ISCO has been used to treat a variety of contaminants; however, chlorinated solvents are by far the most common. ISCO has been implemented at sites with varied subsurface conditions with vertical injection wells and direct push probes being the most common delivery methods. ISCO has met and maintained concentrations below maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), although not at any sites where dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) were presumed to be present. Alternative cleanup levels and mass reduction goals have also been attempted, and these less stringent goals are met with greater frequency than MCLs. The use of pilot testing is beneficial in heterogeneous geologic media, but not so in homogeneous media. ISCO projects cost $220,000 on average, and cost on average $94/yd³ of target treatment zone. ISCO costs vary widely based on the size of the treatment zone, the presence of DNAPL, and the oxidant delivery method. No case studies were encountered in which ISCO resulted in permanent reductions to microbial populations or sustained increases in metal concentrations in groundwater at the ISCO-treated site.     

Transition probability/Markov chain analyses of DNAPL source zones and plumes

At sites where a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) was spilled or released into the subsurface, estimates of the mass of DNAPL contained in the subsurface from core or monitoring well data, either in the nonaqueous or aqueous phase, can be highly uncertain because of the erratic distribution of the DNAPL due to geologic heterogeneity. In this paper, a multiphase compositional model is applied to simulate, in detail, the DNAPL saturations and aqueous-phase plume migration in a highly characterized, heterogeneous glaciofluvial aquifer, the permeability and porosity data of which were collected by researchers at the University of Tübingen, Germany. The DNAPL saturation distribution and the aqueous-phase contaminant mole fractions are then reconstructed by sampling the data from the forward simulation results using two alternate approaches, each with different degrees of sampling conditioning. To reconstruct the DNAPL source zone architecture, the aqueous-phase plume configuration, and the contaminant mass in each phase, one method employs the novel transition probability/Markov chain approach (TP/MC), while the other involves a traditional variogram analysis of the sampled data followed by ordinary kriging. The TP/MC method is typically used for facies and/or hydraulic conductivity reconstruction, but here we explore the applicability of the TP/MC method for the reconstruction of DNAPL source zones and aqueous-phase plumes. The reconstructed geometry of the DNAPL source zone, the dissolved contaminant plume, and the estimated mass in each phase are compared using the two different geostatistical modeling approaches and for various degrees of data sampling from the results of the forward simulation. It is demonstrated that the TP/MC modeling technique is robust and accurate and is a preferable alternative compared to ordinary kriging for the reconstruction of DNAPL saturation patterns and dissolved-phase contaminant plumes.     

Emissions of Trichloroethylene from Bedroom Furniture Set as a Source of Indoor Air Contamination

Shallow trichloroethene (TCE) groundwater and soil contamination associated with a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) Superfund Site in Michigan resulted in a vapor intrusion (VI) investigation of overlying condominium units. Units with data suggesting a complete VI pathway received subslab depressurization systems (SSDs). Performance monitoring following the installation of an SSD at one unit indicated that the indoor air TCE concentrations remained elevated, despite pressure field extension tests that showed the system should effectively reduce VI from soil gas. Therefore, a cost-efficient and incremental investigation was launched to identify other potential source(s) of TCE using a field-portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GS/MS). The combination of room-by-room air sampling, potential VI entry point sampling, and emission tests of potential sources were used, which resulted in successfully identifying a bedroom furniture set as an indoor source of TCE for the unit. Although many common household products are recognized as indoor sources of TCE, emissions from finished furniture products have not been widely discussed in the VI literature. The findings of this study indicate that off gassing from furniture can lead to TCE concentrations in indoor air that exceed regulatory guidelines.     

Predicting DNAPL entrapment and recovery: the influence of hydraulic property correlation

The influence of aquifer property correlation on multiphase fluid migration, entrapment and recovery was explored by incorporating correlated and uncorrelated porosity, permeability, and capillary pressure-saturation (P_c-Sat) parameter fields in a cross-sectional numerical multiphase flow model. Comparison of two-dimensional entrapped organic saturation distributions for a simulated tetrachloroethylene (PCE) spill in ensembles of aquifer realizations suggests that the degree of spatial correlation in P_c-Sat parameters exerts a controlling influence on dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) spreading and redistribution in saturated aquifers. The predicted evolution of DNAPL source zones and resultant remediation efficiency under surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR) also appear to be strongly influenced by the spatial correlation of aquifer parameters and multiphase flow constitutive relationships. Results for a limited number of realizations selected from each ensemble showed that removal of 60% to 99% of entrapped PCE could reduce dissolved contaminant concentration and mass flux by approximately two orders of magnitude under natural gradient conditions. Aqueous phase contaminant mass flux did not vary uniformly as a function of % DNAPL removed, however, and notable differences in behavior were observed for models incorporating correlated versus uncorrelated P_c-Sat and permeability fields. Although these results must be confirmed through analysis of additional realizations, it is likely that similar or larger differences between correlated and uncorrelated system behavior will be observed in aquifers with greater spatially variability than that of the nonuniform, homogeneous sand aquifer studied here. Funding for this research was provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic Center for Hazardous Substance Research under Grant No. R-825540, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality under Contract No. Y80011, and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program under Project No. CU-1293. The content of this publication does not necessarily represent the views of these agencies and has not been subject to agency review.     

Cost Optimization of DNAPL Remediation at Dover Air Force Base Site

This study investigates stochastic optimization of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) remediation design at Dover Air Force Base Area 5 using emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) injection. The Stochastic Cost Optimization Toolkit (SCOToolkit) is used for the study, which couples semianalytical DNAPL source depletion and transport models with parameter estimation, error propagation, and stochastic optimization modules that can consider multiple sources and remediation strategies. Model parameters are calibrated to field data conditions on prior estimates of parameters and their uncertainty. Monte Carlo simulations are then performed to identify optimal remediation decisions that minimize the expected net present value (NPV) cleanup cost while maintaining concentrations at compliance wells under the maximum contaminant level (MCL). The results show that annual operating costs could be reduced by approximately 50% by implementing the identified optimal remediation strategy. We also show that recalibration and reoptimization after 50 years using additional monitoring data could lead to a further 60% reduction in annual operating cost increases the reliability of the proposed remediation actions.     

Pulsed Air Sparging in Aquifers Contaminated with Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquids

Air sparging was evaluated for remediation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) present as dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) in aquifers. A two-dimensional laboratory tank with a transparent front wall allowed for visual observation of DNAPL mobilization. A DNAPL zone 50 cm high was created, with a PCE pool accumulating on an aquitard. Detailed process control and analysis yielded accurate mass balances and insight into the mass-transfer limitations during air sparging. Initial PCE recovery rates were high, corresponding to fast removal of residual DNAPL within the zone influenced directly by air channels. The vadose zone DNAPL was removed within a few days, and the recovery in the extracted soil vapors decreased to low values. Increasing the sparge rate and pulsing the air injection led to improved mass recovery, as the pulsing induced water circulation and increased the DNAPL dissolution rate. Dissolved PCE concentrations both within and outside the zone of air channels were affected by the pulsing. Inside the sparge zone, aqueous concentrations decreased rapidly, matching the declining effluent PCE flux. Outside the sparge zone, PCE concentrations increased because highly contaminated water was pushed away from the air injection point. This overall circulation of water may lead to limited spreading of the contaminant, but accelerated the time-weighted average mass removal by 40% to 600%, depending on the aggressiveness of the pulsing. For field applications, pulsing with a daily or diurnal cycling time may increase the average mass removal rate, thus reducing the treatment time and saving in the order of 40% to 80% of the energy cost used to run the blowers. However, air sparging will always fail to remove DNAPL pools located below the sparge point because the air will rise upward from the top of a screen, unless very localized geological layers force the air to migrate horizontally. Unrecognized presence of DNAPL at chlorinated solvent sites residual and pools could potentially hamper success of air sparging cleanups, since the presence of small DNAPL pools, ganglia or droplets can greatly extend the treatment time.     

Polymer-Enhanced DNAPL Flushing from Low-Permeability Media: An Experimental Study

Remediation of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) is recognized as one of the most difficult problems associated with ground water pollution. The pump-and-treat technique, usually consisting of a continuous operation of extraction-injection wells, is widely used for ground water remediation. In a stratified or otherwise heterogeneous aquifer, however, this technique suffers from tailing and rebound problems, which limit its cleanup efficiency and result in higher operation costs. The tailing and rebound is usually due to slow diffusion of contaminants out of lower- permeability heterogeneities into the flow regime of the higher-permeability zone. In this study, we conduct bench-scale experiments to investigate a novel polymer system and injection method to improve the pump-and-treat technique for DNAPL trapped in a layer of porous media that has a relatively low permeability compared to the surrounding media. This technique might be useful, for example, to remove DNAPL from these low-permeability zones after removal of DNAPL from the higher-permeability zones by a more traditional remediation method. The polymer system consists of a mixture of anionic and cationic polyacrylamides in solution and the injection method is based on flow-induced polymer adsorption, called bridging adsorption. The study includes single and parallel-column experiments. The measured polymer penetration depths were compared with values predicted from a numerical simulation, which was developed previously by the authors of this paper. The experiments and simulations show that the polymer injection leads to a modification of the permeability contrast that favors a more efficient pump-and-treat process. These results suggest that additional research to upscale the technology to pilot scales is warranted.     

Recovery of Coal Tar and Creosote from Porous Media: The Influence of Wettability

The recovery of coal tar or creosote, which are dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), from the subsurface has been used as a means of site remediation at several former manufactured-gas plant sites and wood-treating facilities. Surface-active components in these complex DNAPL can have acid/base and surfactant characteristics that can significantly affect the wettability in these systems, with a reversal to DNAPL wetting at low pHs. These changes in wettability as a function of pH were employed to evaluate their significance on waterflooding efficiency in one-dimensional soil columns. The use of pH as a means of controlling wettability resulted in identical density and viscosity properties between the water-and DNAPL-wet conditions. At some of the higher pHs, the interracial tension changed as well as the wettability. Maintaining a constant dimensionless capillary number was used to minimize the effect of this variable. DNAPL saturations remaining in the DNAPL-wet systems after waterflooding ranged from 38% to 47%. Significantly lower final DNAPL saturations were achieved for water-wetting systems (15% to 30%).     

DNAPL accumulation in wells and DNAPL recovery from wells: Model development and application to a laboratory study

Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) accumulation and recovery from wells cannot be accurately modeled through typical pressure or flux boundary conditions due to gravity segregation of water and DNAPL in the wellbore, the effects of wellbore storage, and variations of wellbore inflow and outflow rates with depth, particularly in heterogeneous formations. A discrete wellbore formulation is presented for numerical modeling of DNAPL accumulation in observation wells and DNAPL removal from recovery wells. The formulation includes fluid segregation, changing water and DNAPL levels in the well and the corresponding changes in fluid storage in the wellbore. The method was added to a three-dimensional finite difference model (CompSim) for three phase (water, gas, DNAPL) flow. The model predictions are compared to three-dimensional pilot scale experiments of DNAPL (benzyl alcohol) infiltration, redistribution, recovery, and water flushing. Model predictions match experimental results well, indicating the appropriateness of the model formulation. Characterization of mixing in the extraction well is important for predicting removal of highly soluble organic compounds like benzyl alcohol. A sensitivity analysis shows that the incorporation of hysteresis is critical for accurate prediction. Among the multiphase flow and transport parameters required for modeling, results are most sensitive to soil intrinsic permeability.     

Mass Flux Analysis of Abiotic Tetrachloroethene Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquid Pool Dissolution in a Heterogeneous Flow Environment

Porous aquifer materials are often characterized by layered heterogeneities that influence groundwater flow and present complexities in contaminant transport modeling. Such flow variations also have the potential to impact the dissolution flux from dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) pools. This study examined how these heterogeneous flow conditions affected the dissolution of a tetrachloroethene (PCE) pool in a two-dimensional intermediate-scale flow cell containing coarse sand. A steady-state mass-balance approach was used to calculate the PCE dissolution rate at three different flow rates. As expected, aqueous PCE concentrations increased along the length of the PCE pool and higher flow rates decreased the aqueous PCE concentration in the effluent. Nonreactive tracer studies at two flow rates confirmed the presence of a vertical flow gradient, with the most rapid velocity located at the bottom of the tank. These results suggest that flow focusing occurred near the DNAPL pool. Effluent PCE concentrations and pool dissolution flux rates were compared to model predictions assuming local equilibrium (LE) conditions at the DNAPL pool/aqueous phase interface and a uniform distribution of flow. The LE model did not describe the data well, even over a wide range of PCE solubility and macroscopic transverse dispersivity values. Model predictions assuming nonequilibrium mass-transfer-limited conditions and accounting for vertical flow gradients, however, resulted in a better fit to the data. These results have important implications for evaluating DNAPL pool dissolution in the field where subsurface heterogeneities are likely to be present.     

A Comparison of Field Techniques for Confirming Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquids

Dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) are immiscible fluids with a specific gravity greater than, water. When present, DNAPLs present a serious and long-term source of continued ground water and soil contamination (Pankow and Cherry 1996). Accurate characterization and delineation of DNAPL in the subsurface is critical for evaluating restoration potential and for remedy design at a site. However, obtaining accurate and definitive direct evidence of DNAPL is difficult. A field study was recently performed comparing several approaches to DNAPL characterization at a site where anecdotal and limited direct evidence of DNAPL exists. The techniques evaluated included a three-dimensional high-resolution seismic survey, field screening of soil cores with a flame ionization detector (FID)/organic vapor analyzer (OVA), hydrophobic (Sudan IV) dye-impregnated reactive FLUTe® (Flexible Liner Underground Technologies) liner material in combination with Rotasonic drill cores, centrifuged soil with Sudan IV dye, ultraviolet light (UV) fluorescence, a Geoprobe® Membrane Interface Probe (MIP®), and phase equilibrium partitioning evaluations based on laboratory analysis of soil samples. Sonic drilling provided reliable continuous cores from which minor soil structures could be evaluated and screened with an OVA, The screening provided reliable preliminary data for identifying likely DNAPL zones and for selecting samples for further analyses. The FLUTe liner material provided the primary direct evidence of the presence of DNAPL and reliable information on the thickness and nature of its occurrence (i.e., pooled or ganglia). The MIP system provided good information regarding the subsurface lithology and rapid identification and delineation of probable DNAPL areas. The three-dimensional seismic survey was of minimal benefit to this study, and the centrifuging of samples with Sudan IV dye and the use of UV fluorescence provided no benefit. Results of phase equilibrium partitioning concentration calculations for soil samples (to infer the presence of DNAPL) were in good agreement with the site screening data. Additionally, screening data compared well with previous ground water data and supported using 1% of the pure phase solubility limit of Freon 113 (2 mg/L) as an initial means to define the DNAPL study area. Based on the results of this study, the preferred approach for identifying and delineating DNAPL in the subsurface is to initially evaluate ground water data and define an area where dissolved concentrations of the target analyte(s) approach 1% of the pure phase solubility limit. Within this study area, the MIP device is used to more specifically identify areas and lithologic zones where DNAPL may have accumulated. Core samples (either Rotasonic or Geoprobe) are then collected from zones where MIP readings are indicative of the presence of DNAPL. Soil samples from the free-product portions of the core(s) are then submitted to a laboratory for positive analyte identification. Soil analyses are then combined with site-specific geotechnical information (i.e., fraction organic carbon, soil bulk density, and porosity) and equilibrium partitioning algorithms used to estimate concentrations of organic contaminants in soil samples that would be indicative of free product. Used in combination, the soil analysis and the MIP records appear to provide accurate DNAPL identification and delineation.     

Evaluating Oregon's beach sites for application to United States Environmental Protection Agency's BEACH Act criteria

With the passage of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act in 2000, coastal states were mandated to assess and sample coastal recreational waters for bacterial ambient water quality parameters. The assessment of beach sites required the application of federal guidelines and a tiered approach to delineating the beaches. Eighty-seven beach sites in Oregon were evaluated and ranked by use, available information, pollution threats, sanitary survey and monitoring data results, exposure considerations, and economic/development factors. This ranking resulted in 19 high priority beaches (tier 1), five medium priority beaches (tier 2), 23 low priority beaches, and 40 beaches with a rank of none in Oregon.     

The development of the SCAT process for the assessment of oiled shorelines

The Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) process is a tool to assess oiled shorelines and is now an integral component of spill response operations. The key element of a SCAT survey is a systematic documentation using standard terms and definitions of the shoreline in the areas affected by an oil spill. SCAT programs were initially established to provide objective and accurate shoreline oiling information directly to cleanup operations. The role of the SCAT program has since expanded and the information generated by the field teams is used now by planners and decision-makers and to develop shoreline treatment recommendations, to select appropriate treatment techniques, and to establish the level or degree of treatment that is appropriate. This latter point is an integral part of establishing shoreline treatment criteria or standards and treatment end points.