DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Effects of Cone Penetrometer Testing on Shallow Hydrogeology at a Contaminated Site

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Environmental Science
 [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Penetration testing is a popular and instantaneous technique for subsurface mapping, contaminant tracking, and the determination of soil characteristics. While the small footprint and reproducibility of cone penetrometer testing makes it an ideal method for in-situ subsurface investigations at contaminated sites, the effects to local shallow groundwater wells and measurable influence on monitoring networks common at contaminated sites is unknown. Physical and geochemical parameters associated with cone penetrometer testing were measured from a transect of shallow groundwater monitoring wells adjacent to penetrometer testing. For wells screened above the depth of cone refusal, the physical advancement and retraction of the cone had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on water level for several pushes within 10 meters of a monitoring well, and a measured increase in specific conductivity. No effect on geochemistry or water level was observed in continuous monitoring data from wells screened below the depth of cone refusal, but variability in specific conductivity from these wells during penetration testing was only a fraction of the natural variation measured during precipitation events. Continuous measurements of specific conductivity and water level demonstrated that the effects of penetration testing have limited spatial and temporal distributions with a null effect post-testing.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC02- 05CH11231; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1839769
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1870217
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol. 9, Issue NA; ISSN 2296-665X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (6)

Hydraulic Tests with Direct-Push Equipment journal January 2002
Hydrogeophysical investigations of the former S-3 ponds contaminant plumes, Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge site, Tennessee journal July 2013
Soil classification using the cone penetration test journal February 1990
Use of in-field bioreactors demonstrate groundwater filtration influences planktonic bacterial community assembly, but not biofilm composition journal March 2018
In situ testing and its application to foundation engineering journal November 1986
Use of CPT and other direct push methods for (hydro-) stratigraphic aquifer characterization — a field study journal February 2012