Sources of salinity in ground water from Jericho area, Jordan Valley

One of the major problems in the lower Jordan Valley is the increasing salinization (i.e., chloride content) of local ground water. The high levels of salinity limit the utilization of ground water for both domestic and agriculture applications. This joint collaborative study evaluates the sources and mechanisms for salinization in the Jericho area. We employ diagnostic geochemical fingerprinting methods to trace the potential sources of the salinity in (1) the deep confined subaquifer system (K2) of Lower Cenomanian age; (2) the upper subaquifer system (K1) of Upper Cenomanian and Turonian ages; and (3) the shallow aquifer system (Q) of Plio-Pleistocene ages. The chemical composition of the saline ground water from the two Cenomanian subaquifers (K1 and K2) point to a single saline source with Na/Cl approximately 0.5 and Br/Cl approximately 7 x 10(-3). This composition is similar to that of thermal hypersaline spring that are found along the western shore of the Dead Sea (e.g., En Gedi thermal spring). We suggest that the increasing salinity in both K1 and K2 subaquifers is derived from mixing with deep-seated brines that flow through the Rift fault system. The salinization rate depends on the discharge volume of the fresh meteoric water in the Cenomanian Aquifer. In contrast, the chemical composition of ground water from the Plio-Pleistocene Aquifer shows a wide range of Cl- (100-2000 mg/L), Na/Cl (0.4-1.0), Br/Cl (2-6 x 10(-3)), and SO4/Cl (0.01-0.4) ratios. These variations, together with the high SO4(2-), K+, and NO3- concentrations, suggest that the salinity in the shallow aquifer is derived from the combination of (1) upconing of deep brines as reflected by low Na/Cl and high Br/Cl ratios; (2) leaching of salts from the Lisan Formation within the Plio-Pleistocene Aquifer, as suggested by the high SO4(2-) concentrations; and (3) anthropogenic contamination of agriculture return flow and sewage effluents with distinctive high K+ (80 mg/L) and NO3- (80 mg/l) contents and low Br/Cl ratios (2 x 10(-3)). Our data demonstrates that the chemical composition of salinized ground water can be used to delineate the sources of salinity and hence to establish the conceptual model for explaining salinization processes.     

Elements in Cottonwood Trees as an Indicator of Ground Water Contaminated by Landfill Leachate

Ground water at the Norman Landfill Research Site is contaminated by a leachate plume emanating from a closed, unlined landfill formerly operated by the city of Norman, Oklahoma, Ground water contaminated by the leachate plume is known to be elevated in the concentration of many, organic and inorganic constituents. Specific conductance, alkalinity, chloride, dissolved organic carbon, boron, sodium, strontium, and deuterium in ground water are considered to be indicators of the leachate plume at this site.
Leaf samples of broad-leafed cottonwood, Populus deltoides , were collected from 57 sites around the closed landfill. Cottonwood, a phreatophyte or "well plant," functions as a & surrogate well and serves as a ground water quality sampler. The leaf samples were combusted to ash and analyzed by instrumental neutron activation for 35 elements and by prompt-gamma instrumental neutron activation, for boron. A monitoring well was located within a few meters of a sampled cottonwood tree at 15 of the 57 sites, and ground water samples were collected from these monitoring wells simultaneously with a leaf sample. The chemical analyses of the ground water and leaf samples from these 15 sites indicated that boron, bromine, sodium, and strontium concentrations in leaves were significantly correlated with leachate indicator constituents in ground water. A point-plot map of selected percentiles indicated high concentrations of boron, bromine, and sodium in leaf ash from sites downgradient of the most recent landfill and from older landfills nearby.
Data from leaf analysis greatly extended the known areal extent of the leachate plume previously determined from a network of monitoring wells and geophysical surveys. This phytosgeochemical study provided a cost-effective method for assessing the extent of a leachate plume from an old landfill. Such a method may be useful as a preliminary sampling tool to guide the design of hydrogeochemical and geophysical studies.     

Sources of Ground Water Salinization in Parts of West Texas

Abstract
Determination of chemical constituent ratios allows distinction between two salinization mechanisms responsible for shallow saline ground water and vegetative-kill areas in parts of west Texas. Mixing of deep-basin (high Cl) salt water and shallow (low Cl) ground water results in saline waters with relatively low Ca/Cl, Mg/Cl, SO₄4/ Cl, Br/Cl, and NO₃/Cl ratios. In scattergrams of major chemical constituents vs. chloride, plots of these waters indicate trends with deep-basin brines as high Cl end members. Evaporation of ground water from a shallow water table, in contrast, results in saline water that has relatively high Ca/Cl, Mg/Cl, SO₄/Cl, and Br/CL ratios. Trends indicated by plots of this water type do not coincide with trends indicated by plots of sampled brines. Leaching of soil nitrate in areas with a shallow water table accounts for high NO₃ concentrations in shallow ground water.     

The Detection of Naturally Occurring BTX During a Hydrogeologic Investigation

Benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) were detected in ground water during a contaminant hydrogeological investigation of a landfill site. The landfill site was situated on approximately 10m (33 ft) of clay and glacial till overburden soils, which were underlain by a shaly limestone bedrock. The top part of the bedrock was the regional aquifer in the study area. Initial thoughts were that the landfill was the source of the BTX. However, the BTX was detected in ground water a considerable distance from the known extent of the leachate plume. Subsequent detailed analysis of rock cores showed the BTX could be leached from bituminous layers of shale that were interbedded in limestone. Rock core testing included gas chromatograph (GC) analysis of organic free reagent water used for leaching tests, flame ionization detection on a solvent used for leaching tests and thermal desorption analysis of the solid rock. The naturally occurring BTX, along with the presence of brackish ground water in the shaly bedrock, made it difficult to identify ground water contamination emanating from the landfill. Thus, the presence of BTX should not be considered definitive evidence of ground water contamination in certain sedimentary rock aquifers.     

Pharmaceuticals and Other Organic Waste Water Contaminants Within a Leachate Plume Downgradient of a Municipal Landfill

Ground water samples collected from the Norman Landfill research site in central Oklahoma were analyzed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic waste water contaminants (OWCs) in ground water. Five sites, four of which are located downgradient of the landfill, were sampled in 2000 and analyzed for 76 OWCs using four research methods developed by the USGS. OWCs were detected in water samples from all of the sites sampled, with 22 of the 76 OWCs being detected at least once. Cholesterol (a plant and animal steroid), was detected at all five sites and was the only compound detected in a well upgradient of the landfill. N,N-diethyltoluamide (DEBT used in insect repellent) and tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (fire-retardant) were detected in water samples from all four sites located within the landfill-derived leachate plume. The sites closest to the landfill had more detections and greater concentrations of each of the detected compounds than sites located farther away. Detection of multiple OWCs occurred in the four sites located within the leachate plume, with a minimum of four and a maximum of 17 OWCs detected. Because the landfill was established in the 1920s and closed in 1985, many compounds detected in the leachate plume were likely disposed of decades ago. These results indicate the potential for long-term persistence and transport of some OWCs in ground water.     

The Geochemistry of Boron in a Landfill Monitoring Program

Ground water monitoring data collected during the past eight years at a permitted municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal facility located in the midwestern United States indicated fluctuations in typical leachate indicator parameter concentrations. Apparent trends in the data inferred leachate outbreak, generating suspicion as to the integrity of the landfill liner. Eight ground water monitoring wells were installed in three distinct geologic units at the landfill facility, including glacial drift, silurian dolomite, and a post-glacial peat fen, which is downgradient from the landfill. Piezometer nests were used to define ground water gradients at the site. Using boron as an indicator, the occurrence of analytes of concern in the downgradient monitoring wells were shown to be indicative of the natural geochemistry of site ground water. This work emphasizes the importance of understanding site hydrogeology during the interpretation of ground water quality data.     

Contamination from Sand-Bentonite Seal in Monitoring Wells Installed in Aquitards

A six year field experiment has shown that a sand-bentonite mixture used to seal monitoring wells in aquitards contributes solutes to the ground water sampled from these wells. Monitoring wells were installed at field sites with hydraulic conductivity (K) ranging from 5 × 10 ^-9 m/s to 3 × 10¹¹ m/s. In most cases the boreholes remained dry during installation which allowed the placement of a dry powdered bentonite/sand mixture tagged with potassium bromide (KBr) to seal and separate sampling points. Over six years, wells were sampled periodically and ground-water samples were analyzed for Br and Cl and other major ions. Typical Br results ranged from 10 mg/1 to 35 mg/1 in the first 700 days, as compared to an estimated initial concentration in the seal material of about 75 mg/1. After six years the bromide concentrations had decreased to between 3 mg/1 and 5 mg/1. The total mass of Br removed in six years is less than 50% of that placed; therefore the contamination effects, although considerably diminished, persist. The trends of Br, Cl, Na, and SO₄ indicate that varying degrees of contamination occur. These data show that the materials used to seal monitoring wells in aquitards can have a significant and long-lasting impact on the chemistry of the water in the wells.     

Halogen contamination in Antarctic H5 and H6 chondrites and relation to sites of recovery

The distribution of the elements F, Cl, Br and I was analysed in layers removed stepwise from Antarctic H5 and H6 chondrites. All meteorites show higher concentrations of these elements on their surfaces than in their interiors. The degree of halogen enrichment cannot be correlated with the degree of visual weathering and is proportional to the time the meteorites were residing on the surface of the Antarctic ice. During this period, aerosols, salts and gaseous components are deposited on the surfaces of the meteorites and diffuse into their interior. The observed contamination level of the meteorites is influenced by leaching properties and diffusion behaviour of the individual halogens. The major contamination source for F, Cl and probably Br is air-borne seaspray; for I it is the gaseous compound methyl iodide (CH₃I) produced by biological processes in the sea. Methyl iodide and its oxidation products formed in the Antarctic atmosphere (e.g., I₂) can be transported over longer distances to the interior of Antarctica than air-borne seaspray. Therefore, the ratio of the halogen contamination is related to the collection site of the meteorites. All meteorites that were found in the Antarctic interior are contaminated to a lesser degree by F, Cl and Br relative to I than those found near the coast. The measured enrichment ratio of I/F is a function of the distance between the collection site and the open sea, and increases from the Allan Hills to the Thiel Mountains. By revealing the degree of contamination of a meteorite it is possible to determine its maximum surface residence time on the Antarctic ice.     

The Application of a Statistical Trend Analysis Model to Ground Water Monitoring Data from Solid Waste Landfills

A statistical trend methodology is used to compare ground water quality between eight landfill sites in western Michigan as a case study. Monitoring data were collected over a 15-year period on 36 parameters at an upgradient and downgradient well selected at each of the eight sites. This yielded a total of 576 monitoring data sets available for analysis. New trend and contamination indices are introduced that are used to compare ground water contamination between these eight sites. These indices are used to assess each landfill's relative potential for environmental harm.
Many questions remain unanswered, but what is demonstrated here is that this type of methodology has the potential to be used to assess trends of ground water chemistry concentrations at landfill sues in a region. A specific purpose of such an assessment could be to provide a quantified basis for the prioritization of funds allocated for cleanup of contaminated landfill sites. Having a technical capability to reduce large amounts of ground water monitoring data to appropriate summaries, which then can be used to assess environmental contamination between several sites, could also have important economic and health implications in other settings. Hopefully this paper will encourage further development of such technologies for these purposes.     

Complementary Investigative Techniques for Site Assessment with Low-Level Contaminants

A remedial investigation (RI) was performed in an area downgradient from an abandoned missile silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, as part of the United States Air Force Installation Restoration Program (IRP). A number of complementary investigative techniques were used to assure a reliable assessment of site contamination. These included the review of aerial photographs, the use of an organic vapor analyzer (OVA) and carbon adsorption/mass spectrometer (MS) method to conduct a soil-gas survey; magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys; bedrock permeability testing; and the chemical analysis of soil, sediment, surface water, and ground water samples. The results from this investigation revealed the presence of an undocumented landfill and a small trichloroethylene plume in ground water at concentrations ranging from 6.7 ppb to 31 ppb. The investigation also identified local ground water flow direction, provided strong evidence of the location of potential sources of contamination, and defined the downgradient extent of ground water contamination. Because the identified contaminants have not as yet reached the environmentally sensitive wetland at the base of the slope below this facility, there is still time to propose remedial alternatives that would serve to protect this environmentally sensitive area.     

Statistical Comparison of Leachate from Hazardous, Codisposal, and Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

There has been considerable debate regarding the chemical characterization of landfill leachate in general and the comparison of various types of landfill leachate (e.g., hazardous, codisposal, and municipal) in particular. For example, the preamble to the U.S. EPA Subtitle D regulation (40 CFR Parts 257 and 258) suggests that there are no significant differences between the number and concentration of toxic constituents in hazardous versus municipal solid waste landfill leachate. The purpose of this paper is to statistically test this hypothesis in a large leachate database comprising 1490 leachate samples from 283 sample points (i.e., monitoring location such as a leachate sump) in 93 landfill waste cells (i.e., a section of a facility that took a specific waste slream or collection of similar waste streams) from 48 sites with municipal, codisposal, or hazardous waste site histories. Results of the analysis reveal clear differention between landfill leachate types, both in terms of constituents detected and their concentrations. The result of the analysis is a classification function that can estimate the probability that new leachate or ground water sample was produced by the disposal of municipal, codisposal, or hazardous waste. This type of computation is illustrated, and applications of the model to Superfund cost-allocation problems are discussed.     

A Graphical Approach for Determining Dilution-Attenuation Factors: Basic Theory and Approach for Submerged Sources

The dilution attenuation factor (DAF) is a quantity used to relate the concentration of leachate leaving a source zone (e.g., landfill, impoundment, or contaminated soils) to its impact on down-gradient ground water quality. The DAF is of importance because it plays a key role in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s methodologies for developing soil cleanup goals and for managing hazardous wastes. In this work, a simplistic graphically-based approach for determining site-specific and generic DAFs was developed. In this case the DAF is based on time-and vertically-averaged concentrations along the plume centerline, and the mathematical framework employs well-known analytical and semianalytical solutions for dissolved contaminant transport. Finite sources with a range of decay characteristics are allowed for. One unique feature of this work is that the graphical approach allows for varying levels of sitespecificity, and thus can be used when one has a little, or a lot, of site-specific information. The graphs visually indicate the sensitivity to various parameters, which is valuable information not easily gleaned from most numerical software simulators. This approach is, however, not applicable to very complex hydrogeologic settings (e.g., fractured geology), or to ground water flows that cannot be reasonably approximated as one-dimensional.     

Geochemical Changes in Spring Water Associated with the 2000 Eruption of the Miyakejima Volcano, Japan

Water was sampled from eight springs and a lake in volcanic Miyakejima Island of Japan after the 2000 eruption. Major chemical and isotopic compositions of the water were analyzed. Significant increases of sulfate ion are observed in several springs where the thickness of ejecta exceeds 32 mm. A good relationship of Cl/S mole ratios between spring water and leachate of the ejecta is observed. Sulfur isotopic compositions of the spring water become close to that of leachate of the ejecta as time elapses after the eruption. Consequently the sources of the added sulfate ion in the spring water after the eruption are interpreted to be anhydrite and adhered sulfur of the ejecta.     

Hydraulic and geochemical interactions between surface water and sediment pore water in seasonal hypersaline Maharlu Lake,Iran

Study of interactions between surface-water and pore-water in lakes is complicated due to spatio-temporal heterogeneities in flow condition across the sediment–water interface. In this study, seasonal hypersaline Maharlu Lake was investigated by collecting surface-water and pore-water samples from four nests of multilevel piezometers installed at different distances from the inflow of rivers to the lake. The hydraulic heads in the piezometers as well as vertical profiles of Mg⁺², Na/Cl, and Br/Cl were used to investigate both hydraulic and geochemical interactions between surface-water and pore-water in the lake. Depletion of lake surface water and pore water with respect to B, Br, Li⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and the absence of Mg-K chlorides and sulphates in the lake bed sediments is probably due to leakage of highly evaporated residual brine from the lake. Hydraulic gradients in the multilevel piezometric nests indicate that a general downward flow from surface-water to pore-water occurs across sediment–water interface. Vertical profiles of Br/Cl, Mg²⁺, and Na/Cl showed that the maximum flow rate was more than 1 m/yr close to the mouth of the inflowing rivers. The downward vertical flow was limited in the area far from the inflowing rivers due to the presence of an impermeable confining halite layer which interrupts the hydraulic connection between shallow pore water (less than 50 cm deep) and deeper zones. The hydraulic and geochemical interactions between surface-water and pore-water across sediment–water interface in the Maharlu Lake are of interest to find out the fate of pollutants and their distribution in the lake.     

Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: using alkylbenzenes as process probes

More than 70 individual VOCs were identified in the leachate plume of a closed municipal landfill. Concentrations were low when compared with data published for other landfills, and total VOCs accounted for less than 0.1% of the total dissolved organic carbon. The VOC concentrations in the core of the anoxic leachate plume are variable, but in all cases they were found to be near or below detection limits within 200 m of the landfill. In contrast to the VOCs, the distributions of chloride ion, a conservative tracer, and nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon, indicate little dilution over the same distance. Thus, natural attenuation processes are effectively limiting migration of the VOC plume. The distribution of C2-3-benzenes, paired on the basis of their octanol-water partition coefficients and Henry's law constants, were systematically evaluated to assess the relative importance of volatilization, sorption, and biodegradation as attenuation mechanisms. Based on our data, biodegradation appears to be the process primarily responsible for the observed attenuation of VOCs at this site. We believe that the alkylbenzenes are powerful process probes that can and should be exploited in studies of natural attenuation in contaminated ground water systems.     

Detection of Contaminant Plumes by Borehole Geophysical Logging

Two borehole geophysical methods—electromagnetic induction and natural gamma radiation logs—were used to vertically delineate landfill leachate plumes in a glacial aquifer. Geophysical logs of monitoring wells near two land-fills in a glacial aquifer in west-central Vermont show that borehole geophysical methods can aid in interpretation of geologic logs and placement of monitoring well screens to sample landfill leachate plumes.
Zones of high electrical conductance were delineated from the electromagnetic log in wells near two landfills. Some of these zones were found to correlate with silt and clay units on the basis of drilling and gamma logs. Monitoring wells were screened specifically in zones of high electrical conductivity that did not correlate to a silt or clay unit. Zones of high electrical conductivity that did not correlate to a silt or clay unit were caused by the presence of ground water with a high specific conductance, generally from 1000 to 2370 μS/cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius). Ambient ground water in the study area has a specific conductance of approximately 200 to 400 μS/cm. Landfill leachate plumes were found to be approximately 5 to 20 feet thick and to be near the water table surface.     

Ground-Water Chemistry of Dibdiba Formation, North Kuwait

Chemical studies have been carried out on a number of water wells from the Dibdiba Formation northeast of Kuwait. Water salinity of this formation ranges between 3,300 mg/l to 7,000 mg/l, increasing with depth. The water entrapped in Dibdiba Formation is mainly sodium chloride type which can be differentiated into three different groups according to the ranges of concentration of the main cations and anions. These groups are: (3331113) sodium chloride water type in which Cl > Na, group (3333113) sodium chloride water type in which Na > Cl. In both groups the sequence of dominant cations is Na > Ca > Mg. Group (3333111) sodium chloride water type has Na > Cl and the sequence of dominant cations is Na > Mg > Ca. Chemical ratios of Ca/Mg, Na/Cl, and C1/HCO₃ were worked out for Dibdiba ground water. The ratio of Ca/Mg Dibdiba Formation ranges from 0.4 to 8.58, the ratio of Na/Cl ranges between 0.98 to 1.33, and the ratio of C1/HCO₃ is 232. A plot of chemical analysis on a trilinear diagram shows that Dibdiba Formation ground-water chemical properties are dominated by alkalies (Na > Ca) and strong acid (Cl > SO₄). Water chemistry may reflect the history of the flow path, indicating regional flow as shown by increasing Na⁺, Cl^-, SO^–₄ and where Ca⁺, Mg⁺ achieve equilibrium.     

Nitrogen Removal from Landfill Leachate Using an Infiltration Bed Coupled with a Denitrification Barrier

Treatment of nitrogen in landfill leachate has received considerable attention recently because of the relatively low levels at which some nitrogen species (i.e., NH3) can be toxic to aquatic life forms. This study reports on the results of a three-year, pilot-scale field trial demonstrating the use of infiltration bed and nitrate barrier technology to achieve nitrogen removal in landfill leachate. The infiltration bed comprises an unsaturated sand layer overlying a saturated layer of waste cellulose solids (sawdust), which acts as a carbon source for heterotrophic denitrification. When loaded at a rate of 1 to 3 cm/day, the infiltration bed was successful at lowering leachate inorganic nitrogen (NH₄⁺+ NO₃^-) levels averaging 24.8 mg/L N by 89%, including 96% in the third year of operation. The surface water discharge criteria for un-ionized ammonia (NH3) were met on all occasions in the treated leachate during the second and third years of operation. Nitrogen attenuation is presumed to occur by a two-step process in which leachate NH₄⁺ is first oxidized to NO₃^- in the unsaturated sand layer and then is converted to nitrogen gas (N₂) by denitrification occurring in the underlying sawdust layer. Mass balance calculations suggest that the sawdust layer has sufficient carbon to allow denitrification to proceed for long periods (1.0 to 30 years) without replenishment. Because this technology is simple to construct and is relatively maintenance free, it should be attractive for use at smaller landfills where the installation of conventional treatment plants may not be feasible.     

Options for the Treatment and Management of Municipal Landfill Leachate: Common and Specific Issues

This paper aims to explore information from the literature for emphasizing the state‐of‐the art and progress in landfill leachate generation, fate and migration, and treatment. Leachate composition is discussed in terms of types of waste disposed and the processes occurring within landfill. The focus is also on potential pathways of environmental contamination by leachate, which may increase environmental and human health risk. The analysis addresses the opportunity and support for decision making concerning alternatives for leachate management and treatment. Advantages and limitations of treatment methods and processes are discussed considering leachate transfer, physico‐chemical methods, biodegradation, and combined methods.     

Developing A National Drinking Water Regulation for Disinfection of Ground Water

The Safe Drinking Water Act directs EPA to promulgate requirements for disinfection of ground water-based drinking water systems. The Ground- water Disinfection Rule regulatory workgroup, made up of representatives from EPA, the states, and other interested parties, is actively considering the issues for the wide range of elements necessary to ensure a regulation that will protect public health and can be feasibly implemented. This regulation is likely to require disinfection of ground water sources and systems found to be contaminated or vulnerable to contamination.