Hoe Creek groundwater restoration, 1989

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6241145· OSTI ID:6241145

Renk, R R; Crader, S E; Lindblom, S R; Covell, J R

During the summer of 1989, approximately 6.5 million gallons of contaminated groundwater were pumped from 23 wells at the Hoe Creek underground coal gasification site, near Gillette, Wyoming. The organic contaminants were removed using activated carbon before the water was sprayed on 15.4 acres at the sites. Approximately 2647 g (5.8 lb) of phenols and 10,714 g (23.6 lb) of benzene were removed from the site aquifers. Phenols, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and naphthalene concentrations were measured in 43 wells. Benzene is the only contaminant at the site exceeds the federal standard for drinking water (5 {mu}g/L). Benzene leaches into the groundwater and is slow to biologically degrade; therefore, the benzene concentration has remained high in the groundwater at the site. The pumping operation affected groundwater elevations across the entire 80-acre site. The water levels rebounded quickly when the pumping operation was stopped on October 1, 1989. Removing contaminated groundwater by pumping is not an effective way to clean up the site because the continuous release of benzene from coal tars is slow. Benzene will continue to leach of the tars for a long time unless its source is removed or the leaching rate retarded through mitigation techniques. The application of the treated groundwater to the surface stimulated plant growth. No adverse effects were noted or recorded from some 60 soil samples taken from twenty locations in the spray field area. 20 refs., 52 figs., 8 tabs.

• Research Organization: Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FC21-86MC11076
• OSTI ID: 6241145
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/11076-2948; ON: DE91002026
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
010800* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540350 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
ABSORPTION
ACTIVATED CARBON
ADSORBENTS
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
BENZENE
CARBON
COAL GASIFICATION
COMPILED DATA
CONDENSED AROMATICS
CONTROL
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GASIFICATION
GROUND WATER
GROWTH
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
INFORMATION
LAND POLLUTION
LEACHING
NAPHTHALENE
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHENOLS
PLANT GROWTH
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
PROCESSING
PUMPING
SAMPLING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TOLUENE
USA
WATER
WATER POLLUTION
WATER TABLES
WATER TREATMENT
WELLS
WYOMING