Evaluation of Mass Flux to and from Ground Water Using a Vertical Flux Model (VFLUX): Application to the Soil Vacuum Extraction Closure Problem

Site closure for soil vacuum extraction (SVE) application typically requires attainment or specified soil concentration standards based on the premise that mass flux from the vadose zone to ground water not result in levels exceeding maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). Unfortunately, realization of MCLs in ground water may not be attainable at many sites. This results in soil remediation efforts that may be in excess of what is necessary for future protection of ground water and soil remediation goals which often cannot be achieved within a reasonable time period. Soil venting practitioners have attempted to circumvent these problems by basing closure on some predefined percent total mass removal, or an approach to a vapor concentration asymptote. These approaches, however, are subjective and influenced by venting design. We propose an alternative strategy based on evaluation of five components: (1) site characterization, (2) design. (3) performance monitoring, (4) rule-limited vapor transport, and (5) mass flux to and from ground water. Demonstration of closure is dependent on satisfactory assessment of all five components. The focus of this paper is to support mass flux evaluation. We present a plan based on monitoring of three subsurface zones and develop an analytical one-dimensional vertical flux model we term VFLUX. VFLUX is a significant improvement over the well-known numerical one-dimensional model. VLEACH, which is often used for estimation of mass flux to ground water, because it allows for the presence of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in soil, degradation, and a lime-dependent boundary condition at the water table inter-face. The time-dependent boundary condition is the center-piece of our mass flux approach because it dynamically links performance of ground water remediation lo SVE closure. Progress or lack of progress in ground water remediation results in either increasingly or decreasingly stringent closure requirements, respectively.     

Application of VLEACH to Vadose Zone Transport of VOCs at an Arizona Superfund Site

Cleanup standards for volatile organic compounds in thick vadose zones can be based on indirect risk (transport to ground water) when contamination is below depths of significant direct risk. At one Arizona Superfund site, a one-dimensional vadose zone transport model (VLE-ACH) was used to estimate the continued transport of VOCs from the vadose zone to ground water. VLEACH is a relatively simple and readily available model that proved useful for estimating indirect risk from VOCs in the vadose zone at this site. The estimates of total soil concentrations used as initial conditions for VLF.ACH incorporated a variety of data from the site. Soil gas concentrations were found to be more useful than soil matrix data for estimating total soil concentrations at this arid-zone site. A simple mixing cell model was used with the VLEACH-derived mass loading estimates from the vadose zone over time to estimate the resulting changes in ground water concentrations. For this site, the results of the linked VLEACH/mixing cell simulations indicate it is likely that the federal MCI. for TCE will be exceeded in underlying ground water if remedial action on I he vadose zone is not pursued.     

Three-Dimensional Simulation of Volatile Organic Compound Mass Flux from the Vadose Zone to Groundwater

Low-permeability layers of the vadose zone containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may persist as source zones for long time periods and may provide contamination to groundwater. At sites with low recharge rates, where vapor migration is the dominant transport process, the impact of vadose zone sources on groundwater may be difficult to assess. Typical assessment methods include one-dimensional numerical and analytical techniques. The one-dimensional approaches only consider groundwater coupling options through boundary conditions at the water table and may yield artificially high mass flux results when transport is assumed to occur by gas-phase diffusion between a source and an interface with a zero concentration boundary condition. Improvements in mass flux assessments for VOCs originating from vadose zone sources may be obtained by coupling vadose zone gas transport and dissolved contaminant transport in the saturated zone and by incorporating the inherent three-dimensional nature of gas-phase transport, including the potential of density-driven advection. This paper describes a series of three-dimensional simulations using data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site, where carbon tetrachloride is present in a low-permeability zone about 30 m above the groundwater. Results show that, for most cases, only a relatively small amount of the contaminant emanating from the source zone partitions into the groundwater and that density-driven advection is only important when relatively high source concentrations are considered.     

Estimating Persistent Mass Flux of Volatile Contaminants from the Vadose Zone to Ground Water

Contaminants may persist for long time periods within low permeability portions of the vadose zone where they cannot be effectively treated and are a potential continuing source of contamination to ground water. Setting appropriate vadose zone remediation goals typically requires evaluating these persistent sources in terms of their impact on meeting ground water remediation goals. Estimating the impact on ground water can be challenging at sites with low aqueous recharge rates where vapor-phase movement is the dominant transport process in the vadose zone. Existing one-dimensional approaches for simulating transport of volatile contaminants in the vadose zone are considered and compared to a new flux-continuity-based assessment of vapor-phase contaminant movement from the vadose zone to the ground water. The flux-continuity-based assessment demonstrates that the ability of the ground water to move contaminant away from the water table controls the vapor-phase mass flux from the vadose zone across the water table. Limitations of these approaches are then discussed with respect to the required assumptions and the need to incorporate three-dimensional processes when evaluating vapor-phase transport from the vadose zone to the ground water. The carbon tetrachloride plume at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site is used as the example site where persistent vadose zone contamination needs to be considered in the context of ground water remediation.     

Physical controls on septic leachate movement in the vadose zone at the hillslope scale,Putnam County,New York,USA

The fate and transport of contaminants in the vicinity of septic fields remains poorly understood in many hydrogeomorphological environments. We report hydrometric data from an intensive hillslope‐scale experiment conducted between 29 August and 11 November 1998 at a residential leach field in New York State. The objective of our study was to characterize water flux within the vadose zone, understand the physical controls on the flux, and predict how this ultimately will affect subsurface water quality. Soil‐water flux was calculated using matric potential measurements from a network of 25 tensiometer nests, each nest consisting of three tensiometers installed to depths of 10, 50 and 130 cm. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curves were derived at each depth from field‐determined time‐domain reflectometry–tensiometry moisture‐release curves and borehole permeametry measurements. Flownets indicated that a strong upward flux of soil water occurred between rainstorms. Following the onset of (typically convective) rainfall, low near‐surface matric potentials were rapidly converted to near‐saturated and saturated conditions, promoting steep vertical gradients through the near‐surface horizons of the hillslope. Lateral hydraulic gradients were typically 10 times smaller than the vertical gradients. Resultant flow vectors showed that the flux was predominantly vertical through the vadose zone, and that the flux response to precipitation was short‐lived. The flux response was controlled primarily by the shape of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curves, which indicated a rapid loss of conductivity below saturation. Thus, soil water had a very high residence time in the vadose zone. The absence of rapid wetting at 130 cm and the delayed and small phreatic zone response to rainfall indicated that water movement through macropores did not occur on this hillslope. These results are consistent with a Cl tracing experiment, which demonstrated that the tracer was retained in the vadose zone for several months after injection to the system. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraints and Categories of Vadose Zone Monitoring Devices

Traditional monitoring methods using chemical analysis of ground water samples to detect pollutant migration are being superseded or used in conjunction with innovative approaches. A need to detect pollutants before they reach the water table has drawn interest to vadose (unsaturated) zone monitoring and brought together hydrogeologists, soil scientists and agricultural engineers who have been working on this subject for years.
Recent studies have identified over 50 different types of vadose zone monitoring devices and methods that have optimum utility in varying hydrogeologic settings. In general, measurements made in the vadose zone are trying to define storage, transmission of liquid waste in terms of flux and velocity, and pollutant mobility.
Criteria for the selection of alternative vadose zone monitoring methods are important for the development of site-specific systems. These criteria include: type of site; applicability to new, active, and abandoned sites; power requirements; depth limitations; multiple use capability; type of data collection system; reliability and life expectancy; degree of operational complexity; direct versus indirect methods; applicability to alternate media; effect on flow regime; and effect of hazardous waste on sampling or measurements. Application of the selection criteria is discussed in Everett et al. (1982a).     

Seasonal shifts in the solute ion ratios of vadose zone rock moisture from the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory

One of the greatest challenges in critical zone studies is to document the moisture dynamics, water flux,and solute chemistry of the unsaturated, fractured and weathered bedrock that lies between the soil and groundwater table. The central impediment to quantifying this component of the subsurface is the difficulty associated with direct observations. Here, we report solute chemistry as a function of depth collected over a full year across the shale-derived vadose zone of the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory using a set of novel sub-horizontal wellbores,referred to as the vadose zone monitoring system. The results of this first geochemical glimpse into the deep vadose zone indicate a dynamic temporal and depth-resolved structure. Major cation concentrations reflect seasonal changes in precipitation and water saturation, and normalized ratios span the full range of values reported for the world's largest rivers.     

Non-isothermal soil water transport and evaporation

A detailed model was formulated to describe the non-isothermal transport of water in the unsaturated soil zone. The model consists of the coupled equations of mass conservation for the liquid phase, gas phase and water vapor and the energy conservation equation. The water transport mechanisms considered are convection in the liquid phase, and convection, diffusion and dispersion of vapor in the gas phase. The boundary conditions at the soil–atmosphere interface include dynamical mass flux and energy flux that accounts for radiation transport. Comparison of numerical simulations results with published experimental data demonstrated that the present model is able to describe water and energy transport dynamics, including situations of low and moderate soil moisture contents. Analysis of field studies on soil drying suggests that that dispersion flux of the water vapor near the soil surface, which is seldom considered in soil drying models, can make a significant contribution to the total water flux.     

Extinction depth and evapotranspiration from ground water under selected land covers

In many landscapes, vegetation extracts water from both the unsaturated and the saturated zones. The partitioning of evapotranspiration (ET) into vadose zone evapotranspiration and ground water evapotranspiration (GWET) is complex because it depends on land cover and subsurface characteristics. Traditionally, the GWET fraction is assumed to decay with increasing depth to the water table (DTWT), attaining a value of 0 at what is termed the extinction depth. A simple assumption of linear decay with depth is often used but has never been rigorously examined using unsaturated-saturated flow simulations. Furthermore, it is not well understood how to relate extinction depths to characteristics of land cover and soil texture. In this work, variable saturation flow theory is used to simulate GWET for three land covers and a range of soil properties under drying soil conditions. For a water table within half a meter of the land surface, nearly all ET is extracted from ground water due to the close hydraulic connection between the unsaturated and the saturated zones. For deep-rooted vegetation, the decoupling of ground water and vadose zone was found to begin at water table depths between 30 and 100 cm, depending on the soil texture. The decline of ET with DTWT is better simulated by an exponential decay function than the commonly used linear decay. A comparison with field data is consistent with the findings of this study. Tables are provided to vary the extinction depth for heterogeneous landscapes with different vegetation cover and soil properties.     

The Application of In Situ Air Sparging as an Innovative Soils and Ground Water Remediation Technology

Vapor extraction (soil venting) has been demonstrated to be a successful and cost-effective remediation technology for removing VOCs from the vadose (unsaturated) zone. However, in many cases, seasonal water table fluctuations, drawdown associated with pump-and-treat remediation techniques, and spills involving dense, non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLS) create contaminated soil below the water table. Vapor extraction alone is not considered to be an optimal remediation technology to address this type of contamination.
An innovative approach to saturated zone remediation is the use of sparging (injection) wells to inject a hydrocarbon-free gaseous medium (typically air) into the saturated zone below the areas of contamination. The contaminants dissolved in the ground water and sorbed onto soil particles partition into the advective air phase, effectively simulating an in situ air-stripping system. The stripped contaminants are transported in the gas phase to the vadose zone, within the radius of influence of a vapor extraction and vapor treatment system.
In situ air sparging is a complex multifluid phase process, which has been applied successfully in Europe since the mid-1980s. To date, site-specific pilot tests have been used to design air-sparging systems. Research is currently underway to develop better engineering design methodologies for the process. Major design parameters to be considered include contaminant type, gas injection pressures and flow rates, site geology, bubble size, injection interval (areal and vertical) and the equipment specifications. Correct design and operation of this technology has been demonstrated to achieve ground water cleanup of VOC contamination to low part-per-billion levels.     

Vadose zone-attenuated artificial recharge for input to a ground water model

Accurate representation of artificial recharge is requisite to calibration of a ground water model of an unconfined aquifer for a semiarid or arid site with a vadose zone that imparts significant attenuation of liquid transmission and substantial anthropogenic liquid discharges. Under such circumstances, artificial recharge occurs in response to liquid disposal to the vadose zone in areas that are small relative to the ground water model domain. Natural recharge, in contrast, is spatially variable and occurs over the entire upper boundary of a typical unconfined ground water model. An improved technique for partitioning artificial recharge from simulated total recharge for inclusion in a ground water model is presented. The improved technique is applied using data from the semiarid Hanford Site. From 1944 until the late 1980s, when Hanford's mission was the production of nuclear materials, the quantities of liquid discharged from production facilities to the ground vastly exceeded natural recharge. Nearly all hydraulic head data available for use in calibrating a ground water model at this site were collected during this period or later, when the aquifer was under the diminishing influence of the massive water disposals. The vadose zone is typically 80 to 90 m thick at the Central Plateau where most production facilities were located at this semiarid site, and its attenuation of liquid transmission to the aquifer can be significant. The new technique is shown to improve the representation of artificial recharge and thereby contribute to improvement in the calibration of a site-wide ground water model.     

Atrazine retention and degradation in the vadose zone at a till plain site in central Indiana

The vadose zone was examined as an environmental compartment where significant quantities of atrazine and its degradation compounds may be stored and transformed. The vadose zone was targeted because regional studies in the White River Basin indicated a large discrepancy between the mass of atrazine applied to fields and the amount of the pesticide and its degradation compounds that are measured in ground and surface water. A study site was established in a rotationally cropped field in the till plain of central Indiana. Data were gathered during the 1994 growing season to characterize the site hydrogeology and the distribution of atrazine, desethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, didealkylatrazine and hydroxyatrazine in runoff, pore water, and ground water. The data indicated that atrazine and its degradation compounds were transported from land surface to a depth of 1.5 m within 60 days of application, but were undetected in the saturated zone at nearby monitoring wells. A numerical model was developed, based on the field data, to provide information about processes that could retain and degrade atrazine in the vadose zone. Simulations indicated that evapotranspiration is responsible for surface directed soil-moisture flow during much of the growing season. This process causes retention and degradation of atrazine in the vadose zone. Increased residence time in the vadose zone leads to nearly complete transformation of atrazine and its degradation products to unquantified degradation compounds. As a result of macropore flow, small quantities of atrazine and its degradation compounds may reach the saturated zone.     

A Rapid Decision Support Tool for Estimating Impacts of a Vadose Zone Volatile Organic Compound Source on Groundwater and Soil Gas

Diminishing rates of subsurface volatile contaminant removal by soil vapor extraction (SVE) oftentimes warrants an in-depth performance assessment to guide remedy decision-making processes. Such a performance assessment must include quantitative approaches to better understand the impact of remaining vadose zone contamination on soil gas and groundwater concentrations. The spreadsheet-based Soil Vapor Extraction Endstate Tool (SVEET) software functionality has recently been expanded to facilitate quantitative performance assessments. The updated version, referred to as SVEET2, includes expansion of the input parameter ranges for describing a site (site geometry, source characteristics, etc.), an expanded list of contaminants, and incorporation of elements of the Vapor Intrusion Estimation Tool for Unsaturated-zone Sources software to provide soil gas concentration estimates for use in vapor intrusion evaluation. As part of the update, SVEET2 was used to estimate the impact of a tetrachloroethene (PCE) vadose zone source on groundwater concentrations, comparing SVEET2 results to field-observed values at an undisclosed site where SVE was recently terminated. PCE concentrations from three separate monitoring wells were estimated by SVEET2 to be within the range of 6.0–6.7 μg/L, as compared to actual field concentrations that ranged from 3 to 11 μg/L PCE. These data demonstrate that SVEET2 can rapidly provide representative quantitative estimates of impacts from a vadose zone contaminant source at field sites. In the context of the SVE performance assessment, such quantitative estimates provide a basis to support remedial and/or regulatory decisions regarding the continued need for vadose zone volatile organic compound remediation or technical justification for SVE termination, which can significantly reduce the cost to complete for a site.     

PRINCIPES NOUVEAUX POUR DISTINGUER CE QUI EST Dû A L'ÉCOULEMENT SOUTERRAIN SUR L'HYDROGRAPHE DES FLEUVES

Abstract

Throughflow has been measured from three soil horizons on a 12 slope with impermeable, bedrock. Storm flow comes from the 10–45 cm horizon and is controlled by the upslope extent of saturated conditions. Base flow comes from the 45–75 cm horizon and is supplied by slow unsaturated flow from the whole soil mass to a small constant zone of saturation.

Differences between input and output stream hydrographs over 270 metres of channel are attributed to throughflow and correlate well with measured values providing a basis for separating throughflow components from the stream hydrograph. Observed stream flows contain no overland flow or ground water flow components. The main basin flood peak is not generated within this control section of channel but is produced in the headwater zone (0.1 km²) by the faster runoff characteristics of the soils in that area and by topographic factors which lead to rapid channel extension.     

Analysis of Soil Vapor Extraction Data to Evaluate Mass-Transfer Constraints and Estimate Source-Zone Mass Flux

Methods are developed to use data collected during cyclic operation of soil vapor extraction (SVE) systems to help characterize the magnitudes and time scales of mass flux associated with vadose zone contaminant sources. Operational data collected at the Department of Energy’s Hanford site are used to illustrate the use of such data. An analysis was conducted of carbon tetrachloride vapor concentrations collected during and between SVE operations. The objective of the analysis was to evaluate changes in concentrations measured during periods of operation and nonoperation of SVE, with a focus on quantifying temporal dynamics of the vadose zone contaminant mass flux, and associated source strength. Three mass flux terms, representing mass flux during the initial period of an SVE cycle, during the asymptotic period of a cycle, and during the rebound period, were calculated and compared. It was shown that it is possible to use the data to estimate time frames for effective operation of an SVE system if a sufficient set of historical cyclic operational data exists. This information could then be used to help evaluate changes in SVE operations, including system closure. The mass flux data would also be useful for risk assessments of the impact of vadose zone sources on groundwater contamination or vapor intrusion.     

Dynamics of flood water infiltration and ground water recharge in hyperarid desert

A study on flood water infiltration and ground water recharge of a shallow alluvial aquifer was conducted in the hyperarid section of the Kuiseb River, Namibia. The study site was selected to represent a typical desert ephemeral river. An instrumental setup allowed, for the first time, continuous monitoring of infiltration during a flood event through the channel bed and the entire vadose zone. The monitoring system included flexible time domain reflectometry probes that were designed to measure the temporal variation in vadose zone water content and instruments to concurrently measure the levels of flood and ground water. A sequence of five individual floods was monitored during the rainy season in early summer 2006. These newly generated data served to elucidate the dynamics of flood water infiltration. Each flood initiated an infiltration event which was expressed in wetting of the vadose zone followed by a measurable rise in the water table. The data enabled a direct calculation of the infiltration fluxes by various independent methods. The floods varied in their stages, peaks, and initial water contents. However, all floods produced very similar flux rates, suggesting that the recharge rates are less affected by the flood stages but rather controlled by flow duration and available aquifer storage under it. Large floods flood the stream channel terraces and promote the larger transmission losses. These, however, make only a negligible contribution to the recharge of the ground water. It is the flood duration within the active streambed, which may increase with flood magnitude that is important to the recharge process.     

A model to couple overland flow and infiltration into macroporous vadose zone

Most vegetated land surfaces contain macropores that may have a significant effect on the rate of infiltration of water under ponded conditions on the ground surface. Owing to the small-scale variations of the land topography (microtopography), only portions of the land area may get ponded during the process of overland flow. As the macropores transmit water at much higher rates than the primary soil matrix, higher macropore activation in ponded areas produces larger effective infiltration rates into the soil. Therefore, overland flow and infiltration into the macroporous vadose zone are interrelated. Representing the microtopographic variation of the land surface by a simple sine wave function, a method was developed to relate the ponding area to the average ponding depth which was determined by overland flow. A numerical model coupling overland flow and infiltration into the macroporous vadose zone was developed. Overland flow was simulated using the St. Venant equations with the inertia terms neglected. A single macropore model was used to simulate the infiltration into the macroporous vadose zone. The interaction between overland flow and the infiltration into the macroporous vadose zone was analyzed for a hypothetical watershed. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the interaction of macropore flow and overland flow is significant. For the conditions tested, the macropore flow and the overland flow were found to be more sensitive to the macroporosity and less sensitive to the microtopographic surface variation.     

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.     

Evidence for climatic and hillslope‐aspect controls on vadose zone hydrology and implications for saprolite weathering

Through the delivery of water in snowmelt, climate should govern the rate and extent of saprolite formation in snow‐dominated mountain watersheds, yet the mechanisms by which water flows deeply into regolith are largely unexplored. In this study we link rainfall, snow depth, and water content data from both soil and shallow saprolite to document vadose zone dynamics in two montane catchments over 2 years. Measurements of snow pack thickness and soil moisture reveal strong contrasts between north‐ and south‐facing slopes in both the timing of meltwater delivery and the duration of significant soil wetting in the shallow vadose zone. Despite similar magnitudes of snowmelt recharge, north‐facing slopes have higher sustained soil moisture compared to south‐facing slopes. To help interpret these observations, we use a 2D numerical model of vadose zone dynamics to calculate the expected space–time moisture patterns on an idealized hillslope under two wetting scenarios: a single sustained recharge pulse versus a set of short pulses. The model predicts that the duration of the recharge event exerts a stronger control on the depth and residence time of water in the upper unsaturated zone than the magnitude of the recharge event. Model calculations also imply that water should move more slowly through the subsurface and downward water flux should be substantially reduced when water is applied in several pulses rather than in one sustained event. The results suggest that thicker soil and more deeply weathered rock on north‐facing slopes may reflect greater water supply to the deep subsurface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.