Floater/Sinker Site Assessment Complicated by Asbestos
Clifford A. Merritt, Owens Corning Science and Technology Center, Granville, OH                                      

Managing Soil and Other Data from the Field to the Map
David W. Rich, Geotech Computer Systems, Inc., Centennial, CO                   

Use of Pore Water in the Ecological Assessment of a Freshwater Stream and the Utility of These Data in the Site Management Plan
Cheryl R. Montgomery, Montgomery & Associates, Inc., Arlington, MA
John Lortie, Stantec, Topsham, ME
Joseph Jammallo, Cushing, Jammallo & Wheeler, Inc., Clinton, MA
Scott E. Furman, Tannenbaum, Helpern, Syracuse & Hirschtritt, LLP, New York, NY 

Characterizing Thermogenic Hydrocarbon Migration through Highly Fractured Bedrock Using Advanced Passive Soil Gas Sampling
Hilary G. Trethewey, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Elkton, MD                      

Dye Tracer Study—Tried and True Method Yields Surprising Results
George F. Arsnow, CDM, Edison, NJ
Michael A. Vancil, LANXESS Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA
Robert P. Schreiber, CDM, Cambridge, MA
Cristina N. Ramacciotti, CDM, Edison, NJ

Floater/Sinker Site Assessment Complicated by Asbestos

Clifford A. Merritt, Owens Corning Science and Technology Center, 2790 Columbus Road, Granville, OH 43023, USA, Tel: 740-321-5702, Fax: 740-321-5280, Email: cliff.merritt@owenscorning.com

Owens Corning previously manufactured a high-temperature pipe insulation product in Berlin, NJ.  Prior to 1972 the calcium silicate pipe insulation product contained 11% to 14% asbestos, making it an asbestos-containing material (ACM).  The manufacturing plant closed in 1993 which triggered New Jersey's Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) leading to extensive evaluation of site conditions.  This paper is a case study of how soil and groundwater investigations were conducted at a site plagued by building asbestos and access limitations.

Initially 13 Areas of Concern (AOC) were established around the site outside of the plant buildings.  Subsequent investigations determined that no further action was warranted for eight of the thirteen AOCs.  The former manufacturing process required curing and drying of the molded wet process pipe material using curing ovens heated by heat transfer fluid with temperature ultimately maintained by boilers.  Most of the identified impacts are primarily related to the historic use of Dowtherm (a heat transfer fluid), fuel oil and various lubricants.  Groundwater is affected by the Dowtherm (sinker) and fuel oil (floater).

Continuing investigations indicated the groundwater contamination may have extended under the plant buildings.  Conducting groundwater investigations from inside the buildings were stymied due to loose ACM insulation (walls, ceiling, etc) falling down and low overhead room to manuver field equipment.  The buildings were abated for asbestos and the structures demolished to facilitate continued field investigation.

Data will be presented to describe the most recent investigation results utilizing a combination of cone penetrometer testing/ultraviolet induced fluorescence (CPT/UVIF) and soil boring techniques to further develop the model for the Dowtherm storage and transfer area.  The CPT/UVIF boring tool is advantageous because it utilizes fluorescent radiation to identify hydrocarbons present in the soil and groundwater.   The concentration of hydrocarbons in the subsurface can be estimated based on the overall UV intensity received by the instrumentation.

Use of Pore Water in the Ecological Assessment of a Freshwater Stream and the Utility of These Data in the Site Management Plan

Cheryl R. Montgomery, Montgomery & Associates, Inc. P. O. Box 189, Arlington, MA 02476-0002 USA, Tel: 781-648-0835, Fax: 781-648-4951, Email: crmontg@m-assoc.com
John Lortie, Stantec. 30 Park Drive, Topsham, Maine 04086 USA. Tel: 207-729-1199 Fax: 207-729-2715, Email: jlortie@stantec.com
Joseph Jammallo, Cushing, Jammallo & Wheeler, Inc. 464 High St, Clinton, MA 01510-1710 USA,  Tel: 978-368-6320 Fax: 978-368-6121, Email: jjammallo@cjw-env.com
Scott E. Furman, Tannenbaum,  Helpern, Syracuse & Hirschtritt, LLP,  900 Third Avenue, New York, NY  10022 USA, Tel: 212-508-6750 Fax: 646-390-7001, Email: furman@tanhelp.com

A former industrial site under redevelopment required an ecological assessment of a freshwater stream that received storm water runoff from both the surrounding urban area as well as from the facility outfall pipe. Preliminary surface water and sediment sampling of the stream indicated that contaminants were present over the entire length of the stream channel in excess of MA state screening criteria. A second round of environmental sampling in reference locations as well as upstream of, at and downstream of the outfall locations included collocated water column, bulk sediment, sediment pore water sampling, tissue, and physicochemical parameters.

Sediment pore water was the most definitive factor in evaluating current impacts that releases from the site were having on the stream. This presentation will focus on pore water and bulk sediment analyses and demonstrate how the results were used to assess exposure, to determine source contributions and to evaluate the portion of the stream recently impacted by the site.

Managing Soil and Other Data from the Field to the Map

David W. Rich, Geotech Computer Systems, Inc., 12150 E. Briarwood Ave., Suite 202, Centennial, CO 80112, USA,  Tel: 303-740-1999, Fax: 303-740-1990, Email: drdave@geotech.com

The amount of data being gathered on soil, water, groundwater and other investigation and monitoring projects is growing at ever increasing rates. Action levels are becoming more varied and stringent, leading to more exceedences, and the expectations for using the data are also growing rapidly. Most people recognize the need for efficient tools for managing laboratory and field data for soil and other matrices. Tools such as affordable GPS receivers, field data entry devices, target levels (MCLs) available in digital form, and readily available base map data in a variety of formats, are making it easier to manage most or all project data without resorting to paper.
This presentation follows the data through the data management process from the field to the final uses of the data. It covers the various steps in the process, from preparing for a field event, gathering field data, interaction with laboratories, data import, checking and validation, data selection, reporting, and GIS mapping. It also discusses problem areas and pitfalls in running a data management project, and addresses how to overcome them. We will pay particular attention to the specific problems of managing laboratory data, as well as to issues related to mapping soil and related data. Cost savings of 50% or more can be documented resulting from more efficient data management and display, and these savings can result in a high return on investment for software purchases, staff training, and data conversion.

Characterizing Thermogenic Hydrocarbon Migration through Highly Fractured Bedrock Using Advanced Passive Soil Gas Sampling

Hilary G. Trethewey, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 100 Chesapeake Boulevard, Elkton, MD 21921, Tel: 410-392-7600, Fax: 410-506-4780, Email: htrethew@wlgore.com

Passive soil gas sampling was combined with rigorous statistical and geochemical modeling techniques to characterize the pathway of hydrocarbon migration into an active quarry in California. The quarry site lies near a major regional fault and consists of a plutonic outcrop containing relatively intact Cretaceous hornblende gabbro blocks within a highly sheared matrix. This matrix is characterized by a series of closely spaced joints and small scale faults. The matrix system is suspected of allowing the passage of thermogenic hydrocarbons, (crude oil and gas sourced from the prolific Monterey Shale) which have been observed at observation wells located throughout and surrounding the quarry. Although a natural phenomenon, the presence of “macro seeping” oil and gas hydrocarbons needs to be understood and managed as the quarry is expanded both laterally and vertically, as well as when the quarry is ultimately closed.

To investigate the hydrocarbon seepage, passive soil gas samplers were placed over the 1.05 square mile region of interest and at four geochemical model calibration sites. Calibration sites included two natural gas, one oil and one well site devoid of a hydrocarbon signature.

By applying advanced statistical processing and discriminant classification modeling to the passive sampling results, the primary fault and fracture networks responsible for hydrocarbon macro-seepage at the quarry were identified. To supplement the geochemical modeling, hydrocarbon compound summation maps were developed to assist management analysis. This process proved to be an economical and effective means to manage further expansion of the quarry.

This presentation will describe the survey design, and statistical and geochemical modeling methods used to identify the hydrocarbons and relevant fracture networks.

Dye Tracer Study: Tried-and-True Method Yields Surprising Results

George F. Arsnow, CHMM, CDM, Raritan Plaza I, Raritan Center, Edison, NJ, 08818, USA, Tel: 732-225-7000, Fax: 732-225-7851, Email: arsnowgf@cdm.com
Michael A. Vancil, P.E., LANXESS Corporation, 111 RIDC Park West Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15275, USA, Tel: 412-809-3590, Fax: 412-809-1056, Email: Michael.vancil@lanxess.com
Robert P. Schreiber, P.E., BCEE, D.WRE., CDM, One Cambridge Place, 50 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA, Tel: 617-452-6000, Fax: 617-452-8000, Email: schreiberrp@cdm.com
Cristina N. Ramacciotti, CDM, Raritan Plaza I, Raritan Center, Edison, NJ, 08818, USA, Tel: 732-225-7000, Fax: 732-225-7851, Email: ramacciotticn@cdm.com

The use of tracer dyes is a technically valid and cost-effective method for characterizing contaminant fluxes and hydraulic properties in complex hydrogeologic systems. Dye tracing methods were successfully employed at a site in New Jersey to evaluate the effectiveness of the groundwater containment system and to update the Conceptual Site Model (CSM). The data has driven a reevaluation of the groundwater containment system and CSM, including a review of interim alternative technologies to increase efficiency while a new approach capping the remedial action timeframe at 15 years is tested and implemented. Uncertainty with regard to the persistence of constituents in downgradient monitoring wells and the influence of long-term pumping from the interconnected overburden and Basalt bedrock aquifers led to the evaluation of methods that would both address multiple hypotheses on contaminant flux and update the CSM. The site contains several distinct features that add to its complexity, including a former disposal area underlain by alluvial material and fractured bedrock and the immediate presence of water bodies. The fluorescent dyes Fluorescein, Rhodamine, and Eosine were selected for the Dye Tracer Study (DTS) and individually injected at three locations following baseline sampling. The injection locations considered the presence of source material (former disposal area), hydraulic properties of the aquifers (pumping induced gradients, travel time, heads from adjacent water bodies), and constituent concentrations (groundwater monitoring). The DTS was conducted over 14 months and involved the collection of grab and composite samples from monitoring and extraction well networks, and along an adjacent brook. A single dye, Fluorescein, was indentified over the course of the DTS. The Fluorescein was injected in the former disposal area and travelled south at an approximate rate of ten feet/day. The DTS illuminated flow-pathways that were unexpected in terms of speed of groundwater migration and extent laterally and vertically.

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