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.     

Performance Assessments of a Novel Well Design for Reducing Exposure to Bedrock‐Derived Arsenic

Arsenic in groundwater is a serious problem in New England, particularly for domestic well owners drawing water from bedrock aquifers. The overlying glacial aquifer generally has waters with low arsenic concentrations but is less used because of frequent loss of well water during dry periods and the vulnerability to surface‐sourced bacterial contamination. An alternative, novel design for shallow wells in glacial aquifers is intended to draw water primarily from unconsolidated glacial deposits, while being resistant to drought conditions and surface contamination. Its use could greatly reduce exposure to arsenic through drinking water for domestic use. Hypothetical numerical models were used to investigate the potential hydraulic performance of the new well design in reducing arsenic exposure. The aquifer system was divided into two parts, an upper section representing the glacial sediments and a lower section representing the bedrock. The location of the well, recharge conditions, and hydraulic properties were systematically varied in a series of simulations and the potential for arsenic contamination was quantified by analyzing groundwater flow paths to the well. The greatest risk of arsenic contamination occurred when the hydraulic conductivity of the bedrock aquifer was high, or where there was upward flow from the bedrock aquifer because of the position of the well in the flow system.     

Control of Ground Water Contamination at an Active Uranium Mill

Seepage from tailings ponds associated with an active uranium mill in Utah has resulted in contamination of ground water contained in the Dakota-Burro Canyon Formation. This aquifer is used in the area as a supply for domestic and industrial wells.
Results of very low-frequency electromagnetic surveys and ground water quality investigations at the site indicated that the flow of ground water and contaminants is primarily fracture-controlled. Pumping tests were conducted to determine the hydraulic characteristics of the fractured system. The extent of contaminant migration was then determined using an analytical model of transport in fractured aquifers.
Based on these investigations, a plan was designed to control future and remediate past ground water contamination. This plan consists of pumping from a single well intersecting the main fracture that transports contaminants off the site. The effectiveness of the plan was analytically modeled, taking account of the anisotropy of the ground water system. Subsequent monitoring of water levels in the area indicates that the plan has been effective since its inception in November 1983.     

Concentration Profiles in Screened Wells under Static and Pumped Conditions

Purge and pump samples from screened wells reflect concentration averaging and contaminant redistribution by wellbore flow. These issues were assessed in a screened well at the Hanford Site by investigating the vertical profile of a technetium-99 plume in a conventional well under static and pumped conditions. Specific conductance and technetium-99 concentrations were well correlated, and this enabled measurement of specific conductance to be used as a surrogate for technetium-99 concentration. Time-series measurements were collected during purging from three specific conductance probes installed in the well at 1.2, 3.1, and 4.9 m below the static water level in a 7.7-m-deep screened well. The vertical contaminant profile adjacent to the well in the aquifer was calculated using the concentration profile in the well during pumping, the pumping flow rate, and a wellbore flow and mixing model. The plume was found to be stratified in the aquifer—the highest concentrations occurred adjacent to the upper part of the screened interval. The purge and pump sample concentrations were 41% to 58% of the calculated peak concentration in the aquifer. Plume stratification in the aquifer adjacent to the well screen became more pronounced as pumping continued. Extended pumping may have partially reversed the effect of contaminant redistribution in the aquifer by wellbore flow and allowed the stratification of the plume to be more observable. It was also found that the vertical profile of contamination in the well under static (i.e., nonpumping conditions) was not representative of the profile in the aquifer. Thus, passive or micropurge sampling techniques, which sample the wellbore water at different depths, would not yield results representative of the aquifer in this well.     

Modeling and Remediation of Ground Water Contamination at the Engelse Werk Wellfield

Contaminants have been threatening the Engelse Werk wellfield located between the town of Zwolle and the IJssel River in the Netherlands. Chemical analysis of water samples taken in production wells, both at the IJssel River and near the Zwolle railway station, indicated elevated concentrations of mainly organic contaminants including benzene, bentazon, acenaftene, trichloroethane, and bromacil. Immediate contaminant prevention and remediation measures are needed to safeguard the production wells. Ground water flow and transport models were developed to assist in the design of remediation strategies. Ground water flow models indicated that the IJssel River and a waste disposal ditch at the railway station are within the capture zone of the wellfield. A chloride transport model simulated minimum travel times in the order of four to 13 years for contaminants in the IJssel River to reach the production wells of the wellfield. A transport model for benzene was set up to advise on the remediation measures to be taken at the waste disposal ditch to clean up the contamination in the upper aquifer between this site and the Engelse Werk wellfield. The designed remediation system consists of 12 pumping wells with a combined capacity of 1650 m³/day. The system is capable of reducing the benzene levels at the threatened production wells at the Engelse Werk wellfield to a permissible level below 0.1 μg/L within a period of 5 years.     

Utilization of Shallow Geophysical Sensing at Two Abandoned Municipal/Industrial Waste Landfills on the Missouri River Floodplain

In the past 30 to 40 years, floodplain areas of large rivers, such as the Missouri River, have been extensively used for large industrial and municipal landfills. Many of these sites are now causing varying degrees of ground water contamination. Rapid geophysical characterization techniques have proven useful for delineation of anomalous areas indicative of potential contaminant plumes. These methods have also resulted in a cost effective approach to the location and number of monitoring wells.
An effective technique to initially characterize ground water contamination at such landfills along the Missouri River in northwestern Missouri involved a combination of electrical resistivity and electromagnetic conductivity methods. Resistivity was used to obtain soundings of the alluvium by using a modified Wenner array and to corroborate shallow electromagnetic conductivity measurements by using short Wenner array electrode spacings.
Upon confirmation of similar measurements of the upper soils for the two methods, numerous electromagnetic conductivity traverses were made at each landfill site. The data generated from these surveys were graphed and contoured to delineate anomalous areas. Based on the geophysical study, a ground water monitoring well network was then designed for each landfill.
As a result, a minimal number of wells were required to initially characterize the ground water quality at these two sites. In general, analysis of water samples from these wells displayed good correlation with the geophysical results.     

Innovative Contaminant Mass Flux Monitoring in an Aquifer Subject to Tidal Effects

Exposure from groundwater contamination to aquatic receptors residing in receiving surface water is dependent upon the rate of contaminated groundwater discharge. Characterization of groundwater fluxes is challenging, especially in coastal environments where tidal fluctuations result in transient groundwater flows towards these receptors. This can also be further complicated by the high spatial heterogeneity of subsurface deposits enhanced by anthropogenic influences such as the mixing of natural sediments and backfill materials, the presence of subsurface built structures such as sheet pile walls or even occurrence of other sources of contaminant discharge. In this study, the finite volume point dilution method (FVPDM) was successfully used to characterize highly transient groundwater flows and contaminant mass fluxes within a coastal groundwater flow system influenced by marked tides. FVPDM tests were undertaken continuously for more than 48 h at six groundwater monitoring wells, in order to evaluate groundwater flow dynamics during several tide cycles. Contaminant concentrations were measured simultaneously which allowed calculating contaminant mass fluxes. The study highlighted the importance of the aquifer heterogeneity, with groundwater fluxes ranging from 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻³ m/s. Groundwater flux monitoring enabled a significant refinement of the conceptual site model, including the fact that inversion of groundwater fluxes was not observed at high tide. Results indicated that contaminant mass fluxes were particularly higher at a specific monitoring well, by more than three orders of magnitude, than at other wells of the investigated aquifer. This study provided crucial information for optimizing further field investigations and risk mitigation measures.     

Hydrogeochemistry and environmental isotopes of ground water in Jeju volcanic island,Korea: implications for nitrate contamination

Ground water from springs and public supply wells was investigated for hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes of ³H, ¹⁸O and D in Jeju volcanic island, Korea. The wells are completed in a basaltic aquifer and the upper part of hydrovolcanic sedimentary formation. Nitrate contamination is conspicuous in the coastal area where most of the samples have nitrate concentrations well above 1 mg NO₃ N/l. Agricultural land use seems to have a strong influence on the distribution of nitrate in ground water. Comparison of stable isotopic compositions of precipitation and ground water show that ground water mostly originates from rainy season precipitation without significant secondary modification and that local recharge is dominant. ³H concentration of ground water ranged from nearly zero to 5 TU and is poorly correlated with vertical location of well screens. The occurrence of the ³H‐free, old ground water is due to the presence of low permeability layers near the boundary of the basaltic aquifer and the hydrovolcanic sedimentary formation, which significantly limits ground water flow from the upper basaltic aquifer. The old ground water exhibited background‐level nitrate concentrations despite high nitrate loadings, whereas young ground water had considerably higher nitrate concentrations. This correlation of ³H and nitrate concentration may be ascribed to the history of fertilizer use that has increased dramatically since the early 1960s in the island. This suggests that ³H can be used as a qualitative indicator for aquifer vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vadose Zone Monitoring: Experiences and Trends in the United States

The vadose zone is the portion of the geologic profile above a perennial aquifer. Inclusion of mandatory vadose zone monitoring techniques as an approach to aquifer protect ion was first proposed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in the United States in 1978 and has since received increasing acceptance at federal and stale levels. The goals of a vadose zone characterization and monitoring effort are to establish background conditions, identify contaminant transport pathways, identify the extent and degree of existing contamination, establish the basis for monitoring network design, measure the parameters needed in a risk assessment, and provide detection of contaminant migration toward ground water resources. The benefits of vadose zone monitoring include early warning of contaminant migration, potential reduction of ground water monitoring efforts, reduction of contaminant spreading and volume, and reduced time and cost of remediation once a contaminant release occurs. Vadose zone characterization and monitoring techniques should be considered as critical hydrologic tools in the prevention of ground water resource degradation.     

Temporal changes in the vertical distribution of flow and chloride in deep wells

The combination of flowmeter and depth-dependent water-quality data was used to evaluate the quantity and source of high-chloride water yielded from different depths to eight production wells in the Pleasant Valley area of southern California. The wells were screened from 117 to 437 m below land surface, and in most cases, flow from the aquifer into the wells was not uniformly distributed throughout the well screen. Wells having as little as 6 m of screen in the overlying upper aquifer system yielded as much as 50% of their water from the upper system during drought periods, while the deeper parts of the well screens yielded 15% or less of the total yield of the wells. Mixing of water within wells during pumping degraded higher-quality water with poorer-quality water from deeper depths, and in some cases with poorer-quality water from the overlying upper aquifer system. Changes in the mixture of water within a well, resulting from changes in the distribution of flow into the well, changed the quality of water from the surface discharge of wells over time. The combination of flowmeter and depth-dependent water quality data yielded information about sources of high-chloride water to wells that was not available on the basis of samples collected from nearby observation wells. Changing well design to eliminate small quantities of poor-quality water from deeper parts of the well may improve the quality of water from some wells without greatly reducing well yield.     

Application of Direct Push Methods to Investigate Uranium Distribution in an Alluvial Aquifer

The U.S. EPA 2000 Radionuclide Rule established a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for uranium of 30 µg/L. Many small community water supplies are struggling to comply with this new regulation. At one such community, direct push (DP) methods were applied to obtain hydraulic profiling tool (HPT) logs and install small diameter wells in a section of alluvial deposits located along the Platte River. This work was conducted to evaluate potential sources of elevated uranium in the Clarks, Nebraska drinking water supply. HPT logs were used to understand the hydrostratigraphy of a portion of the aquifer and guide placement of small diameter wells at selected depth intervals. Low-flow sampling of the wells provided water quality parameters and samples for analysis to study the distribution of uranium and variations in aquifer chemistry. Contrary to expectations, the aquifer chemistry revealed that uranium was being mobilized under anoxic and reducing conditions. Review of the test well and new public water supply well construction details revealed that filter packs extended significantly above the screened intervals of the wells. These filter packs were providing a conduit for the movement of groundwater with elevated concentrations of uranium into the supply wells and the community drinking water supply. The methods applied and lessons learned here may be useful for the assessment of unconsolidated aquifers for uranium, arsenic, and many other drinking water supply contaminants.     

Screened Auger Sampling: The Technique and Two Case Studies

The screened auger is a laser-slotted, hollow-stem auger through which a representative sample of ground water is pumped from an aquifer and tested for water-quality parameters by appropriate field-screening methods. Screened auger sampling can be applied to ground water quality remedial investigations, providing:(1) a mechanism for determining a monitoring well's optimal screen placement in a contaminant plume; and (2) data to define the three-dimensional configuration of the contaminant plume.
Screened auger sampling has provided an efficient method for investigating hexavalent chromium and volatile organic compound contamination in two sandy aquifers in Cadillac, Michigan. The aquifers approach 200 feet in thickness and more than 1 square mile in area. A series of screened auger borings and monitoring wells was installed, and ground water was collected at 10-foot intervals as the boreholes were advanced to define the horizontal and vertical distribution of the contaminant plumes. The ability of the screened auger to obtain representative ground water samples was supported by the statistical comparison of field screening results and subsequent laboratory analysis of ground water from installed monitoring wells.     

A Remedial Investigation of an Organically Polluted Outwash Aquifer

A glacial outwash aquifer underlying the Gloucester Landfill near Ottawa, Canada, has become polluted with various organic chemicals following the disposal of laboratory solvents in shallow trenches immediately above the aquifer. Several remedial alternatives have been considered by the government of Canada. Impermeable barrier walls were rejected as being unsuitable given the permeable nature of the underlying bedrock. It appears improbable that pools of liquid organic chemicals (DNAPLs) exist within the aquifer, although ganglia are likely present. Therefore, much of the contaminant plume can be removed hydraulically over a period of five years by the operation of four purge wells discharging to an on-site treatment plant from which the purified water is returned to the aquifer by recharge wells. The residual contamination is anticipated to be cleaned up by in situ biorestoration techniques currently under development.     

Modeling of Contaminant Movement Near Pumping Wells: Saturated-Unsaturated Flow with Particle Tracking

A transient axisymmetric saturated-unsaturated numerical flow model was coupled with a particle tracking model to investigate the movement of contaminants when a shallow unconfined aquifer is pumped at a constant rate. The particle tracking model keeps track of locations and masses of solutes in the aquifer, and the time of capture by the well. At the end of each time-step the flow model solves the Richard's equation for the hydraulic head distribution from which elemental velocities are calculated. Solutes are then displaced for a period equivalent to the time-step using both the magnitude and direction of the elemental velocities. Numerical experiments were performed to investigate effluent concentrations in wells with screens of different length and in different positions relative to zones of stratified contamination. At early times of pumping the effluent concentrations were similar to the concentrations adjacent to the well screen, but at late times, the concentrations approached the vertically averaged concentration in the aquifer. Time to attain the vertically averaged concentration was determined by the well geometry, initial location of the contaminant plume in relation to the well screen, and hydraulic properties of the aquifer. The results are consistent with the hydraulics of flow to a pumping well and of particular importance, they demonstrate that short-term pump tests could give erroneous design concentrations for pump-and-treat systems. The model provides a means of quantifying arrival times and mixing ratios. It could therefore provide a useful means of designing production wells in aquifers with stratified contamination and more efficient recovery systems for aquifer remediation.     

Backward probabilistic model of groundwater contamination in non-uniform and transient flow

Backward location and travel time probabilities, which provide information about the former location of contamination in an aquifer, can be used to identify unknown contamination sources. Backward location probability describes the possible upgradient positions of contamination at a known time in the past, and backward travel time probability describes the time required for contamination to travel from a known upgradient location to an observation point. These probabilities are related to adjoint states of resident concentration, and their governing equation is the adjoint of a forward contaminant transport model. Using adjoint theory to obtain the appropriate governing equation, we extend the backward probability model for conservative solutes to more general non-uniform and transient flow fields. In particular, we address three important extensions, spatially-varying porosity, transient flow and temporally-varying porosity, and internal distributed sources and sinks of solute and water. For the first time we learn that forward and backward location and travel time probabilities are not necessarily equivalent to adjoint states, but are related to them. The extensions are illustrated using a vertically-integrated groundwater model, creating transient flow by a step change in pumping and using areal recharge as an internal distributed source. Both the movement and spread of probabilities are affected. With internal sources of water, there are two interpretations of backward probability, depending on whether or not the source of water is also a source of solute. The results demonstrate how the backward probability model can be applied to other, perhaps more important, non-uniform and transient flow conditions, with time- and space-varying water storage, such as time-varying pumping or unsaturated (or saturated–unsaturated) flow and transport with spatially- and temporally-varying moisture content.     

Reverse Water‐Level Fluctuations Associated with Fracture Connectivity

Reverse water‐level fluctuations (RWFs), a phenomenon in which water levels rise briefly in response to pumping, were detected in monitoring wells in a fractured siliciclastic aquifer system near a deep public supply well. The magnitude and timing of RWFs provide important information that can help interpret aquifer hydraulics near pumping wells. A RWF in a well is normally attributed to poroelastic coupling between the solid and fluid components in an aquifer system. In addition to revealing classical pumping‐induced poroelastic RWFs, data from pressure transducers located at varying depths and distances from the public supply well suggest that the RWFs propagate rapidly through fractures to influence wells hundreds of meters from the pumping well. The rate and cycling frequency of pumping is an important factor in the magnitude of RWFs. The pattern of RWF propagation can be used to better define fracture connectivity in an aquifer system. Rapid, cyclic head changes due to RWFs may also serve as a mechanism for contaminant transport.     

Multiobjective analysis of a public wellfield using artificial neural networks

As competition for increasingly scarce ground water resources grows, many decision makers may come to rely upon rigorous multiobjective techniques to help identify appropriate and defensible policies, particularly when disparate stakeholder groups are involved. In this study, decision analysis was conducted on a public water supply wellfield to balance water supply needs with well vulnerability to contamination from a nearby ground water contaminant plume. With few alternative water sources, decision makers must balance the conflicting objectives of maximizing water supply volume from noncontaminated wells while minimizing their vulnerability to contamination from the plume. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were developed with simulation data from a numerical ground water flow model developed for the study area. The ANN-derived state transition equations were embedded into a multiobjective optimization model, from which the Pareto frontier or trade-off curve between water supply and wellfield vulnerability was identified. Relative preference values and power factors were assigned to the three stakeholders, namely the company whose waste contaminated the aquifer, the community supplied by the wells, and the water utility company that owns and operates the wells. A compromise pumping policy that effectively balances the two conflicting objectives in accordance with the preferences of the three stakeholder groups was then identified using various distance-based methods.     

Techniques and Equipment Used in Contaminant Detection at Hoe Creek Underground Coal Gasification Experimental Site

Data from an existing network of ground water monitoring wells at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hoe Creek Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Experimental Site indicated that organic contaminants, particularly phenols produced during gasification experiments, were threatening neighboring ground water resources. The existing monitoring well network was sparse and further definition of the extent and direction of contaminant migration was needed. Additionally, water level data, important in determining flow directions, was incomplete. A field program was designed and implemented to locate and define the organic contamination and expand the existing ground water monitoring program. The program utilized field analysis of phenol for contaminant detection and well location, followed by completion using gas-drive ground water samplers/piezometers. Geophysical logging was used to permit optimum placement of the samplers. The geologic aspects of the site posed some interesting problems to the installation of the samplers. The contaminant plume edge was defined in the east, west and south directions during the field program. Further work is needed in the north direction.     

Contamination of Farmstead Wells by Pesticides, Volatile Organics, and Inorganic Chemicals in Kansas

Concern about the public health consequences of possible contamination of farmstead wells led to a random statewide survey in Kansas. Results of the analyses showed that 8 percent of tested wells had detectable amounts of pesticides, 2 percent had detectable amounts of volatile organic chemicals, and 37 percent had some inorganic contaminant exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Nitrate was the most common source of inorganic contamination, exceeding the MCL in 28 percent of the wells. Selenium levels exceeded the MCL in 9 percent of the wells. A multiple regression model for nitrate-N was developed. The factors included the age of the well, land use around the well, and the distance to the closest possible source of organic contamination.     

Characteristics of distribution and transport of petroleum contaminants in fracture-karst water in Zibo Area, Shandong Province, China

Fracture-karst water is an important water resource for the water supply in North China. Petroleum contamination is one of the most problematic types of the groundwater pollution. The characteristics of distribution and transport of the petroleum contaminants in fracture-karst water are different from those in porous water. The flow velocity of fracture-karst water is much faster than the velocity of porous water on an average. Therefore, contaminant transport in fracture-karst water is an absolute advection-dominated problem. The plume of the petroleum contamination may extend to several kilometers from pollution sources. It was not caused by the oil pool floating on the water table but by the oil components dissolved and scattered in groundwater. The distribution of the petroleum contaminants over space are concentrated in the strong conductive zone on the plane. On the vertical section the highest concentration of the oil contaminants appeared in the strata where the contamination sources were located. The concentrations of the oil contaminants in wells changed greatly over time. Therefore, the curves of concentration versus time fluctuated greatly. The reasons are as follows. (a) Fracture-karst water has a very great velocity. (b) Local flow fields which were caused by pumping and stoppage in some wells changed frequently. (c) In fracture-karst aquifer the transport channels are complicated. (d) Residual oil in vadose zone was leached after rainfall. It is of great practical value for the control and remediation of petroleum contamination in fracture-karst aquifer to understand those characteristics.