In Situ Biorestoration as a Ground Water Remediation Technique

In situ biorestoration, where applicable, is indicated as a potentially very cost-effective and environmentally acceptable remediation technology. Many contaminants in solution in ground water as well as vapors in the unsaturated zone can be completely degraded or transformed into new compounds by naturally occurring indigenous microbial populations. Undoubtedly, thousands of contamination events are remediated naturally before the contamination reaches a point of detection. The need is for methodology to determine when natural biorestoration is occurring, the stage the restoration process is in, whether enhancement of the process is possible or desirable, and what will happen if natural processes are allowed to run their course.
In addition to the nature of the contaminant, several environmental factors are known to influence the capacity of indigenous microbial populations to degrade contaminants. These factors include dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, availability of mineral nutrients, salinity, soil moisture, the concentration of specific pollutants, and the nutritional quality of dissolved organic carbon in the ground water.
Most enhanced in situ bioreclamation techniques available today are variations of hydrocarbon degradation procedures pioneered and patented by Raymond and coworkers at Suntech during the period 1974 to 1978. Nutrients and oxygen are introduced through injection wells and circulated through the contaminated zone by pumping one or more producing wells.
The limiting factor in remediation technology is getting the contaminated subsurface material to the treatment unit or units, or in the case of in situ processes, getting the treatment process to the contaminated material. The key to successful remediation is a thorough understanding of the hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics of the contaminated area.     

Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation

Monitored natural attenuation is widely applied as a remediation strategy at hydrocarbon spill sites. Natural attenuation relies on biodegradation of hydrocarbons coupled with reduction of electron acceptors, including solid phase ferric iron (Fe(III)). Because arsenic (As) adsorbs to Fe‐hydroxides, a potential secondary effect of natural attenuation of hydrocarbons coupled with Fe(III) reduction is a release of naturally occurring As to groundwater. At a crude‐oil‐contaminated aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota, anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons coupled to Fe(III) reduction has been well documented. We collected groundwater samples at the site annually from 2009 to 2013 to examine if As is released to groundwater and, if so, to document relationships between As and Fe inside and outside of the dissolved hydrocarbon plume. Arsenic concentrations in groundwater in the plume reached 230 µg/L, whereas groundwater outside the plume contained less than 5 µg/L As. Combined with previous data from the Bemidji site, our results suggest that (1) naturally occurring As is associated with Fe‐hydroxides present in the glacially derived aquifer sediments; (2) introduction of hydrocarbons results in reduction of Fe‐hydroxides, releasing As and Fe to groundwater; (3) at the leading edge of the plume, As and Fe are removed from groundwater and retained on sediments; and (4) downgradient from the plume, patterns of As and Fe in groundwater are similar to background. We develop a conceptual model of secondary As release due to natural attenuation of hydrocarbons that can be applied to other sites where an influx of biodegradable organic carbon promotes Fe(III) reduction.     

Characterization and Source History Modeling Using Low‐k Zone Profiles at Two Source Areas

Like tree rings, high‐resolution soil sampling of low‐permeability (low‐k) zones can be used to evaluate the style of source history at contaminated sites (i.e., historical pattern of concentration and composition vs. time since releases occurred at the interface with the low‐k zone). This is valuable for the development of conceptual site model (CSM) and can serve as an important line of evidence supporting monitored natural attenuation (MNA) as a long‐term remedy. Source histories were successfully reconstructed at two sites at Naval Air Station Jacksonville using a simple one‐dimensional (1D) model. The plume arrival time and historical composition were reconstructed from the time initial releases that were suspected to occur decades earlier. At the first site (Building 106), the source reconstructions showed relatively constant source concentrations, but significant attenuation over time in the downgradient plume in the transmissive zone, suggesting MNA may not be an appropriate remedy if source control is a requirement, but attenuation processes are clearly helping to maintain plume stability and reduce risk. At the second site (Building 780), source concentrations in the transmissive zone showed an approximately a one order of magnitude over time, but apparently less attenuation in the downgradient plume. The source reconstruction method appeared to reflect site remediation efforts (excavation, soil vapor extraction) implemented in the 1990s. Finally, a detailed analysis using molecular biological tools, carbon isotopes, and by‐products suggests that most degradation activity is associated with high‐k zones but not with low‐k zones at these source areas. Overall, the source reconstruction methodology provided insight into historical concentration trends not obtainable otherwise given the limited long‐term monitoring data.     

Monitored Natural Attenuation of Manufactured Gas Plant Tar Mono- and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ground Water: A 14-Year Field Study

Site 24 was the subject of a 14-year (5110-day) study of a ground water plume created by the disposal of manufactured gas plant (MGP) tar into a shallow sandy aquifer approximately 25 years prior to the study. The ground water plume in 1988 extended from a well-defined source area to a distance of approximately 400 m down gradient. A system of monitoring wells was installed along six transects that ran perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the plume centerline. The MGP tar source was removed from the site in 1991 and a 14-year ground water monitored natural attenuation (MNA) study commenced. The program measured the dissolved mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs and PAHs) periodically over time, which decreased significantly over the 14-year period. Naphthalene decreased to less than 99% of the original dissolved mass, with mass degradation rates of 0.30 per year (half-life 2.3 years). Bulk attenuation rate constants for plume centerline concentrations over time ranged from 0.33 ± 0.09 per year (half-life 2.3 ± 0.8 years) for toluene and 0.45 ± 0.06 per year (half-life 1.6 ± 0.2 years) for naphthalene. The hydrogeologic setting at Site 24, having a sandy aquifer, shallow water table, clay confining layer, and aerobic conditions, was ideal for demonstrating MNA. However, these results demonstrate that MNA is a viable remedial strategy for ground water at sites impacted by MAHs and PAHs after the original source is removed, stabilized, or contained.     

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.     

Using qPCR Assays to Predict Rates of Cometabolism of TCE in Aerobic Groundwater

Monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is commonly used as a remedy for trichloroethene (TCE) in anaerobic groundwater; however, MNA has not been applied to TCE contamination in aerobic groundwater. Under aerobic conditions, bacteria initiate the degradation of many organic substances with oxygenase enzymes. Several of these enzymes are known to degrade TCE through a fortuitous reaction known as cometabolism. There are commercially available qPCR assays that can determine the number of gene copies of these enzymes. If the qPCR assay could be used to predict the first-order rate constant for cometabolism of TCE, the qPCR assay could be used to screen sites to determine whether MNA was a plausible remedy for TCE contamination. This study reevaluated data from water samples that were collected from 19 wells on five sites in Minnesota, New York, and Utah. Data had previously been published on the rate constant for cometabolism of TCE in the water samples as determined by a ¹⁴C-assay and the abundance of gene copies for five enzymes that cometabolize TCE as determined using a qPCR assay. The Michaelis-Menten (Haldane) kinetic parameters for cometabolism of TCE and the abundance of DNA for the five oxygenase enzymes were used to predict the rate constant for cometabolism of TCE. The predicted rate constants were evaluated and validated by comparing them to the rate constants derived from the ¹⁴C-assay. For predicted rate constants greater than 0.003 per year, the predicted rate constants agreed with the measured rate constants within a factor of three. The qPCR assay serves as a convenient screening tool to determine whether MNA is a plausible remedy for an aerobic plume of TCE.     

A Practical Approach to Evaluating Natural Attenuation of Contaminants in Ground Water

The extent of natural attenuation is an important consideration in determining the most appropriate corrective action at sites where ground water quality has been impacted by releases of petroleum hydrocarbons or other chemicals. The objective of this study was to develop a practical approach that would evaluate natural attenuation based on easily obtained field data and field tested indicators of natural attenuation. The primary indicators that can he used to evaluate natural attenuation include plume characteristics and dissolved oxygen levels in ground water. Case studies of actual field sites show that plumes migrate more slowly than expected, reach a steady state, and decrease in extent and concentration when natural attenuation is occurring. Background dissolved oxygen levels greater than 1 to 2 mg/L and an inverse correlation between dissolved oxygen and contaminant levels have been identified through laboratory and field studies as key indicators of aerobic biodegradation. an important attenuation mechanism. Secondary indicators such as geochemical data, and more intensive methods such as contaminant mass balances, laboratory microcosm studies, and detailed ground water modeling can demonstrate natural attenuation as well. The recommended approach for evaluating natural attenuation is to design site assessment activities so that required data such as dissolved oxygen levels and historical plume flow path concentrations are obtained. With the necessary data, the primary indicators should be applied to evaluate natural attenuation. II the initial evaluation suggests that natural attenuation is a viable corrective action alternative, then a monitoring plan should be implemented to verify the extent of natural attenuation.     

Enhanced Degradation of Dissolved Benzene and Toluene Using a Solid Oxygen-Releasing Compound

A field lest to evaluate the applicability of an oxygon-releasing compound (ORC) to the rernediation of ground water contaminated with benzone and toluene was conducted in the Borden Aquifer in Ontario. Canada. Benzene and toluene were injected as organic substrates to represent BTEX compounds, bromide was used as a tracer, and nitrate was added to avoid nitrate-limited conditions.
The fate of the solutes was monitored along four lines of monitoring points and wells. Two lines studied the behavior of the solutes upgradient and downgradient of two large-diameter well screens filled with briquets containing ORC and briquets without ORC. One line was used to study the solute behavior upgradient and downgradient of columns of ORC powder placed directly in the saturated zone. The remaining line was a control.
The results indicate that ORC in both briquet and powder form can release significant amounts of oxygen to conlaminated ground water passing by it. In the formulation used in this work, oxygen release persisted for at least 10 weeks. Furthemiore, the study indicates that the enhancement of the available dissolved oxygen content of at least 4 mg/L each of the ground water by ORC can support biodegradation of benzene and toluene dissolved in ground water. Such concentrations are typical of those encountered at sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons; therefore, these results suggest that there is promise for ORC to enhance in situ biodegradation of BTKX contaminants at such sites using passive (nonpumping) systems to contact the contaminated ground water with the oxygen source.     

Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic Acid-Rich Shallow Ground Water

Total concentrations of formate, acetate, and isobutyrate varied from less than 5 to greater than 9,000 μmol/l over distances of < 3 m in ground water from a shallow hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer. Laboratory incubations of aquifer material indicate that organic acid concentrations were dependent on the amount of hydrocarbon loading in the sediment and the relative rates of microbial organic acid production and consumption. In heavily contaminated sediments, production greatly exceeded consumption and organic acid concentrations increased. In lightly contaminated sediments rates were essentially equal and organic acid concentrations remained low. Concentrations of dissolved calcium, magnesium, and iron generally were one to two orders of magnitude higher in organic acid-rich ground water than in ground water having low organic acid concentrations. Carbonate and Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide minerals were the likely sources of these elements. Similarly, concentrations of dissolved silica, derived from quartz and k-feldspar, were higher in organic acid-rich ground water than in other waters. The positive relation (r = 0.60, p < .05, n = 16) between concentrations of silica and organic acids suggests that the microbially mediated buildup of organic acids in ground water enhanced quartz/k-feldspar dissolution in the aquifer, although it was not the only factor influencing their dissolution. A model that included organic acid microequivalents normalized by cation microequivalents significantly strengthened the correlation (r = 0.79, p < .001, n = 16) between dissolved silica and organic acid concentrations, indicating that competition between silica and cations for complexation sites on organic acids also influenced quartz/k-feldspar dissolution. Physical evidence for enhanced mineral dissolution in organic acid-rich waters included scanning electron microscopy images of highly corroded quartz and k-feldspar grains from portions of the aquifer containing organic acid-rich ground water. Microporosity generated in hydrocarbon contaminated sediments may adversely affect remediation efforts that depend on the efficient injection of electron acceptors into an aquifer or on the recovery of solutes from an aquifer.     

Characterization and identification of na-cl sources in ground water

Elevated concentrations of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) in surface and ground water are common in the United States and other countries, and can serve as indicators of, or may constitute, a water quality problem. We have characterized the most prevalent natural and anthropogenic sources of Na+ and Cl- in ground water, primarily in Illinois, and explored techniques that could be used to identify their source. We considered seven potential sources that included agricultural chemicals, septic effluent, animal waste, municipal landfill leachate, sea water, basin brines, and road deicers. The halides Cl-, bromide (Br), and iodide (I) were useful indicators of the sources of Na+-Cl- contamination. Iodide enrichment (relative to Cl-) was greatest in precipitation, followed by uncontaminated soil water and ground water, and landfill leachate. The mass ratios of the halides among themselves, with total nitrogen (N), and with Na+ provided diagnostic methods for graphically distinguishing among sources of Na+ and Cl- in contaminated water. Cl/Br ratios relative to Cl- revealed a clear, although overlapping, separation of sample groups. Samples of landfill leachate and ground water known to be contaminated by leachate were enriched in I and Br; this provided an excellent fingerprint for identifying leachate contamination. In addition, total N, when plotted against Cl/Br ratios, successfully separated water contaminated by road salt from water contaminated by other sources.     

Estimation of anaerobic biodegradation rate constants at MGP sites

Field data at six former manufactured gas plant sites in New Jersey were used to estimate the biodegradation rate constants for the anaerobic processes naturally occurring within the ground water contaminant plumes (primarily iron and sulfate reduction). Those rate constants turned out to be about an order of magnitude smaller than values reported for the same contaminants (primarily benzene and naphthalene) at fuel sites. At four of the sites, there appeared to be sufficient electron acceptor present to eventually degrade the contaminants in the plume. However, the presence of nonaqueous phase liquids tends to offset that capacity by continuing to act as a source of contaminants that can dissolve in the ground water.     

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.     

Application of Electromagnetic Logging to Contamination Investigations in Glacial Sand-and-Gravel Aquifers

Electromagnetic (EM) logging provides an efficient method for high-resolution, vertical delineation of electrically conductive contamination in glacial sand-and-gravel aquifers. LM. gamma, and lithologic logs and specific conductance data from sand-and-gravel aquifers at five sites in the northeastern United States were analyzed to define the relation of KM conductivity to aquifer lithology and water quality. Municipal waste disposal, septic waste discharge, or highway deicing salt application at these sites has caused contaminant plumes in which the dissolved solids concentration and specific conductance of ground water exceed background levels by as much as 10 to 20 limes.
The major hydrogeologic factors that affected KM log response at the five sites were the dissolved solids concentration of the ground water and the silt and clay content in the aquifer. KM conductivity of sand and gravel with uncontaminated water ranged from less than 5 to about 10 millisiemens per meter (mS/m); that of silt and clay zones ranged from about 15 to 45 mS/m: and that of the more highly contaminated zones in sand and gravel ranged from about 10 to more than 80 mS/m. Specific conductance of water samples from screened intervals in sand and gravel at selected monitoring well installations was significantly correlated with KM conductivity.
CM logging can be used in glacial sand-and-gravel aquifer investigations to (1) determine optimum depths for the placement of monitoring well screens: (2) provide a nearly continuous vertical profile of specific conductance to complement depth-specific water quality samples; and (3) identify temporal changes in water quality through sequential logging. Detailed lithologic or gamma logs, preferably both, need to be collected along with the F.M logs to define zones in which elevated EM conductivity is caused by the presence of sill and clay beds rather than contamination.     

Contamination of an Unconfined Sand Aquifer by Waste Pulp Liquor: A Case Study

A zone of contaminated ground water has been identified in an unconfined sand aquifer adjacent to a pit into which spent pulp liquor was intermittently discharged from 1970 to 1979. A network of multilevel sampling, bundle-type piezometers was installed. Up to seven depthspecific sampling points were incorporated into each piezometer providing a cost-effective means for three-dimensional mapping of hydraulic head and water quality in the unconfined sand aquifer. Ground-water samples retrieved from this network showed an area of contamination 900 m long, 400 m wide, and more than 25 m deep. This plume is dispersed about the ground-water flow lines passing beneath the waste disposal pit, and it terminates at a vigorous ground-water discharge area located 800 m from the pit. The contaminated ground water is characterized by elevated concentrations of sodium (3,000 mg/1), chloride (590 mg/1), alkalinity (2,700 mg/1), total organic carbon (2,000 mg/1), chemical oxygen demand (10,800 mg/1), biological oxygen demand (2,000 mg/1), tannin and lignin (780 mg/1), and lower sulphate (1 mg/1) compared to background ground waters in the area. The apparent rate of sodium migration is more than 50 m/yr and is close to the average linear ground-water velocity. Removal of some organic matter by biological transformation has produced the increased alkalinity in the contaminated ground water and somewhat reduced pH. Tannin and lignin are relatively inert compared to other organic compounds found in the waste liquor. Extremely low sulphate levels occurring in the highly contaminated ground waters indicate the existence of conditions favorable for microbially-mediated sulphate reduction.     

Vulnerability of a public supply well in a karstic aquifer to contamination

To assess the vulnerability of ground water to contamination in the karstic Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), age-dating tracers and selected anthropogenic and naturally occurring compounds were analyzed in multiple water samples from a public supply well (PSW) near Tampa, Florida. Samples also were collected from 28 monitoring wells in the UFA and the overlying surficial aquifer system (SAS) and intermediate confining unit located within the contributing recharge area to the PSW. Age tracer and geochemical data from the earlier stage of the study (2003 through 2005) were combined with new data (2006) on concentrations of sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), tritium (³H), and helium-3, which were consistent with binary mixtures of water for the PSW dominated by young water (less than 7 years). Water samples from the SAS also indicated mostly young water (less than 7 years); however, most water samples from monitoring wells in the UFA had lower SF₆ and ³H concentrations than the PSW and SAS, indicating mixtures containing high proportions of older water (more than 60 years). Vulnerability of the PSW to contamination was indicated by predominantly young water and elevated nitrate-N and volatile organic compound concentrations that were similar to those in the SAS. Elevated arsenic (As) concentrations (3 to 19 μg/L) and higher As(V)/As(III) ratios in the PSW than in water from UFA monitoring wells indicate that oxic water from the SAS likely mobilizes As from pyrite in the UFA matrix. Young water found in the PSW also was present in UFA monitoring wells that tap a highly transmissive zone (43- to 53-m depth) in the UFA.     

Use of LIF for Real-Time In-Situ Mixed NAPL Source Zone Detection

The site characterization and analysis cone penetrometer system (SCAPS), equipped with realtime fluorophore detection capabilities, was used to delineate subsurface contaminant releases in an area where plating shop waste was temporarily stored. Records indicated that various nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) were released at the site. The investigators advanced the SCAPS laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) sensor to depths beneath the water table of the principal water-bearing zone. The water table was located approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) below ground surface (bgs) across the site. Fluorescence, attributed to fuel compounds commingled with chlorinated solvents, was observed at depths ranging from 4.0 to 11.5 feet (1.2 to 3.5 m) bgs. Fluorescence, attributed to naturally occurring organic materials (by process of elimination and spectral characteristics) commingled with chlorinated solvent constituents, was observed at depths ranging from approximately 13 to 40 feet (4.0 to 12.2 m) bgs. Fluorescence responses from compounds confirmed to be commingled with chlorinated solvents indicates that the SCAPS fluorophore detection system is capable of indirectly delineating vadose zone and subaqueous chlorinated solvents and other dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) at contaminant release sites. This confirmation effort represents the first documented account of the successful application of LIF to identify a mixed DNAPL/LNAPL source zone.     

Longitudinal impacts of anthropogenic pressures on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in a large transboundary Mediterranean river during the low flow period

Changes in lotic benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages along the transboundary Axios‐Vardar River (Greece – Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia) were examined in order to identify major anthropogenic impacts correlated to the benthic community composition during the low flow season. Macrozoobenthos and water samples were collected from 21 sites during summer 2000 and beginning of autumn 2001. Parallel to sampling, the recording of the physical structure of the sites took place using the River Habitat Survey (RHS) method. The multivariate techniques of FUZZY and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), as well as the Hellenic biotic score (HES) and the habitat quality scores (HMS, HQA) were applied to the data. Total dissolved solids and total suspended solids were found to be the primary factors affecting the structure of the observed communities. Additionally, species composition responded to anthropogenic activities, e. g. untreated sewage effluents, industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, intense water abstraction and impoundment. As expected, macrozoobenthos community composition shifted from sensitive to tolerant taxa where human impacts were most evident.     

A Field Test of Electromigration as a Method for Remediating Sulfate from Shallow Ground Water

Eloctromigraiion offers a potential tool for remediating ground water contaminated with highly soluble components, such as Na⁺, Cl, NO₃ and SO₄⁻. A field experiment was designed to lest the efficacy of electromigration for preconcontrating dissolved SO₄² in ground water associated with a fossil-fuel power plant. Two shallow wells, 25 feel apart (one 25 feel deep, the other 47 feet deep), were constructed in the upper portion of an unconfined alluvial aquifer. The wells were constructed with a double-wall design, with an outer casing of 4-inch PVC and an inner lube of 2-inch FVC; both were fully slotted (0.01 inch). Electrodes were constructed by wrapping the inner lulling with a 100-foot length of rare-earth metal oxide/copper wire. An electrical potential of 10.65 volts DC Was applied, and tests were run for periods of 12, 44, and 216 hours. Results showed large changes in the pH from the initial pH of ground water of about 7.5 to values of approximately 2 and 12 at the anode and cathode, respectively. Despite the fact that the test conditions were far from ideal, dissolved SO₄^2-; was significantly concentrated at the anode. Over a period of approximately nine days, the concentration of SO₄^2- at the anode reached what appeared to he a steady-state value of 2200 mg/L. compared lo the initial value in ground water of approximately 1150 mg/L. The results of this field lest should encourage further investigation of electromigration as a tool in the remediation of contaminated ground water.     

Strontium isotope identification of water mixing and recharge sources in a river system (Oder River,central Europe): A quantitative approach

This study uses Sr isotope composition (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and Sr content of waters of the Oder, one of the largest rivers in central Europe, to fingerprint natural and anthropogenic contributions to its Sr budget and to evaluate water mixing processes in its hydrological system. It also demonstrates a simple method of quantifying natural and anthropogenic Sr inputs in the watershed. The method has potential for environmental and archaeological research because past Sr geochemistry of river water can easily be reconstructed. For the first time, a catchment‐scale impact of anthropogenic sources on the Sr budget of a middle‐size river is shown in a quantitative way. The water of the Oder is characterized by a relatively uniform Sr isotope composition, from 0.7100 to 0.7108, contrasting with strong variations in Sr concentration, from 0.25 to 1.27 mg/L. There is a general seasonal trend in variability, with waters becoming more radiogenic and dilute with respect to the Sr in the spring time. This Sr systematics differs significantly from the Sr budgets of the majority of the Oder tributaries that exhibit more radiogenic composition and systematically lower Sr concentrations. A mixing scenario in the Oder involves Sr contribution from four principal water sources: (a) shallow ground waters with Sr derived from near‐surface weathering of silicates, (b) moderately radiogenic mine waters from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, (c) unradiogenic mine waters from the Permian sequence of the copper district, and (d) unradiogenic ground waters from shallow‐seated Palaeogene, Neogene, and Mesozoic aquifers. The Sr budget of the Oder is primarily controlled by inputs of dissolved Sr from anthropogenic sources, which overprint the natural background, controlled by geology. Thus, about 47.5% of Sr originates from agriculture, industrial, and municipal additions, 31.5% from mine water inputs, and only 21% from natural sources, that is, rock weathering and atmospheric precipitation. Reconstruction of the past Sr chemistry of the Oder reveals that its present‐day Sr isotope composition is temporary and significantly different from that of the preindustrial times.     

Evaluation of Hydrogeo-chemical Conditions for Development of Nuclear Criticality in Low-Level Waste Disposal Facilities

The under ground disposal of fissile isotope-bearing wastes poses some unique issues. Specifically, radionuclides such as ²³⁵U disposed in low-level waste facilities, if present in the correct concentration and geometry, can create a nuclear criticality event that releases radioactivity to ground water. This paper reports the results of a study of the potential for ²³⁵U to be transported by ground water within low-level waste facilities and to concentrate to form a critical mass. Coupled hydrologic and geochemical modeling was used to investigate two possible mechanisms for concentrating mobile uranium: sorption on high capacity sites and precipitation in a reducing zone. The hydrogeochemical modeling showed that (1) it is difficult to mobilize uranium from sorption sites then re-deposit it; (2) if uranium is already in solution it can accumulate in zones of high sorption, and (3) reducing zones can accumulate sufficient uranium in the presence of oxygenated ground water. Site-specific disposal practices, such as the commingling of large quantities of depleted (nonfissile) uranium and the difficulty of bringing sufficient mass together in the correct geometry, limit the potential for criticality safety concerns. In order to determine appropriate disposal practices, hydrogeochemical modeling can be used to study the future mobility and accumulation of the waste.