New approach to the investigation of groundwater contamination at petroleum release sites in karst aquifers of Minnesota
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Rochester, MN (United States)
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) provides technical guidance and regulatory oversight for the investigation and remediation of a large number of petroleum release sites in the state. A significant number of these sites are located in southeastern Minnesota. The carbonate bedrock in this region of the state has been subjected to at least 400 million years of karstification processes. Consequently, all these formations are karstified, with a wide range in the intensity of the karstification. This range is very poorly understood, is not established, and is only now beginning to be mapped in the state. However, this is largely irrelevant to groundwater contamination issues, since the presence of even minor solution features can lead to significant deviations from the porous media approximations on which conventional groundwater investigations are based. Essentially, all of the-unconfined carbonate bedrock aquifers are karst aquifers and both groundwater and contaminant movement is best described and managed under discrete-flow or dual-porosity models. Experience gathered over several years has demonstrated that conventional groundwater investigation techniques were proving to be inadequate and also not cost effective in these areas of the state. Application of conventional groundwater investigation methods had resulted in a large number of incompletely characterized sites, inadequate monitoring networks, and failure of remedial systems. This led the MPCA to develop an alternative approach for groundwater characterization techniques specific to karst areas. In early 1996, this approach was presented to the consulting and regulated communities as draft guidance to be implemented during the forthcoming field season. These guidelines present procedures and techniques that recognize the fact that karst aquifers possess hydrogeologic properties that cannot be characterized by porous media approximations.
- OSTI ID:
- 569971
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-971116-; TRN: 98:000778-0041
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1997 petroleum hydrocarbons and organic chemicals in ground water: prevention, detection, and remediation conference, Houston, TX (United States), 12-14 Nov 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1997 petroleum hydrocarbons & organic chemicals in ground water: Prevention, detection, and remediation; PB: 811 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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