Soil-gas signatures from volatile chlorinated solvents: Borden field experiments

Journal Article · · Ground Water; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00265.x· OSTI ID:6644081

Rivett, M O ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research

Field experiments have been conducted at the Borden research site to evaluate the widely applied soil-gas survey method. In particular, the ability of surveys to delineate DNAPL chlorinated solvent sources and associated ground-water plumes has been investigated. Field experiments indicated that dissolved-phase plumes from DNAPL pools or residual located about a meter or more below the water table are unlikely to be directly detected by soil-gas surveys. Soil-gas plumes observed at real sites are attributed to volatilization of source material in the vadose zone and consequent formation of very shallow interface zone ground-water contamination that is able to partition to the soil gas as it transports downgradient. The distribution of DNAPL sources and dissolved-phase plumes deeper in the ground-water zone may often bear little resemblance to the shallow interface zone ground-water plume above, and hence the location of this deeper contamination will remain highly difficult to identify by soil-gas surveys. Field observations are confirmed with simple analytical 1-D diffusion modeling and the implications of the results to the practice of soil-gas surveys at contaminated sites indicated.

• OSTI ID: 6644081
• Journal Information: Ground Water; (United States), Journal Name: Ground Water; (United States) Vol. 33:1; ISSN GRWAAP; ISSN 0017-467X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FIELD TESTS
GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SOLVENTS
SURVEYS
TESTING
WATER