![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
NRMRL MONTHLY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2005
Stephen G. Schmelling, Division Director
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
ReSolve Superfund Site, Region 1: On February 11, Scott
Huling (GWERD) and Bruce Pivetz (Dynamac) provided RPM
Joseph Lemay with technical review comments on a "Bio-
Filter/Phytobed Flow Restriction Coring Program Report" for the
ReSolve Superfund Site in North Dartmouth, MA. The report
concludes that a flow restriction in a treatment trench was likely
due to the sand/gravel mixture drainage layer in the trench having a
lower than expected permeability. A number of suggestions were
offered with respect to the differences in permeability including
statistical limitations due to the number of samples tested, the
possible presence of filter fabric in the soil core, sampling
procedures, microbial growth or mineral precipitation, and the
sorting of material during handling and transportation.
(S. Huling(GWERD)580-436-8610)
Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst Superfund Site,
Region 2: On February 22, Ann Keeley (GWERD) and Lifeng
Guo (Dynamac) provided RPM Paul Ingrisano with comments on a
five-year progress report on natural attenuation of study areas I & J
at the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst Superfund Site in
Lakehurst, NJ. It was suggested that the reported intrinsic
biodegradation rates appear to be over-estimated, probably due to a
part of the data set being collected under conditions which were
non-steady state, and that a one-dimensional flow was assumed for
the site. It was recommended that the rate estimations be based on
a sub set of data with comparable ground-water elevation values.
It was also recommended that transverse dispersivity be taken into
account in the biodegradation rate estimation with a more realistic
representation of the ground-water flow system as being two- or
three-dimensional if site data can support such an analysis.
(A. Keeley(GWERD)580-436-8890)
Chemical Control Corporation Site, Region 2: On February 22,
Ann Keeley (GWERD) and Daniel Pope (Dynamac) provided
RPM Nigel Robinson with review comments on the "Post-
Remedial Sampling Report with the Focused Remedial Assessment
of Soil at CW-3" for the Chemical Control Corporation Site in
Elizabeth, NJ. Specifically, the comments focused on routine site
monitoring and remedy maintenance procedures, effects of a
Hydrogen Release Compound (HRC) injection program, and
results of core sampling tests. Generally, the amount and type of
data collected appeared to be at least minimally sufficient to make
some decisions regarding future site activities. Since the
operations and maintenance procedures seemed reasonable, the
comments were largely directed toward the results and conclusions
concerning the HRC injection program, and the test of soil cores.
(A. Keeley(GWERD)580-436-8890)
PPG Industries RCRA Site, Region 2: On February 24, in a
continuing technical assistance effort at the PPG Industries Site in
Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, Ann Keeley (GWERD) and Bruce Pivetz
(Dynamac) provided RPM Luis Negron with comments on a
supplemental RCRA Facility Investigation and Interim Measures
Report. The report was found to be clear and well organized in
presenting information in a logical manner with the geological
conceptual model being its strong point. It appeared, however, that
the report greatly overestimated the effectiveness of natural
attenuation as a corrective action by not adequately addressing the
heterogeneity and complexity of the site, nor the impact of a
potential presence of NAPLs. In this respect most of the
discussion was found to be general in nature by describing the
basics of contaminant fate and transport mechanisms, sometimes
inappropriately. In addition to a number of general comments,
specific considerations were offered in a variety of areas including
data validation, potential sources of vinyl chloride, hydrodynamic
dispersion, NAPL dissolution, calculation of contaminant mass,
and the evaluation of monitored natural attenuation.
(A. Keeley(GWERD)580-436-8890)
Delatte Metals Superfund Site, Region 6: During February 14-
19, Ann Keeley, Frank Beck and Russell Neill (GWERD)
conducted a field trip to the Delatte Metals Superfund Site in
Ponchatoula, LA, to collect core and ground-water samples as part
of a continuing microbiological investigation of two pilot-scale
PRBs. The reactive components of the PRBs include cow manure,
limestone, and wood chips which were designed to promote
microbially mediated sulfate reduction and subsequent metal
sulfide precipitation. Cores were collected and processed on site in
a glove box for biogeochemical parameters. Ground-water
samples were analyzed for field parameters focusing on sulfide
concentrations and will be analyzed in the laboratory for relevant
microbiological characterization.
(A. Keeley(GWERD)580-436-8890)
Alark Hard Chrome Superfund, Region 9: On January 27,
Steven Acree (GWERD) and Dynamac, an off-site contractor,
provided Herb Levine with an evaluation of the use of a borehole
flowmeter technique for the characterization of transmissive
bedrock features at the Alark Hard Chrome Superfund Site in
Riverside, CA. It was suggested that, in general, it may be possible
to use this technique to identify transmissive intervals in site wells.
However, the bedrock transmissivity appears to be relatively low
which would severely limit the sustainable pumping rate, increase
the time required for the test, and, possibly, decrease the sensitivity
of the test. Based on site conditions, it is likely that an iterative
approach to the test design would be required to produce
acceptable results. It is also unlikely that the test results would be
suitable for assigning interval-specific values for hydraulic
conductivity as this would require the assumption that flow is
occurring under porous-media conditions which appear to be
questionable.
(S. Acree(GWERD)580-436-8609)
Carson Ground-Water Contamination RCRA Site, Region 9:
On February 2, Steven Acree (GWERD) and Lifeng Guo (Dynamic
Consultant) provided RPM Greg Lovato with comments on a
"Groundwater Model Development Report - Geologic/Geophysical
Supporting Data" for the Carson Ground-Water Contamination
RCRA Site in Carson, CA. The reviewed logs generally support
the geologic framework proposed for model development. As at
most sites, some of the interpretations and simplifications are
subject to professional judgment, and the results of the modeling
studies may indicate that revisions are warranted, particularly in
highly heterogeneous settings. In this respect, the modeling effort
should be considered as a continuous process in which assumptions
are re-examined, added, tested, deleted, and modified as the
process continues through the calibration phase and beyond.
(S. Acree(GWERD)580-436-8609)
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS
Huling, Scott G. (GWERD), Patrick K. Jones (GWERD), Wendell
P. Ela (Univ. of AZ), and Robert G. Arnold (Univ. of AZ). Feb.
2005. "Repeated Reductive and Oxidative Treatments of Granular
Activated Carbon." Jour. Environ. Eng. ASCE
NRMRL-ADA-03331
(S. Huling(GWERD)580-436-8610)
Su, Chunming and Robert W. Puls (GWERD), 2004. Significance
of Iron(II, III) Hydroxycarbonate Green Rust in Arsenic
Remediation Using Zerovalent Iron in Laboratory Column Tests.
Environmental Science and Technology, 38:5224-5231.
EPA/600/J-04/310
(C. Su(GWERD)580-436-8638)
NRMRL-ADA-04127
http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/toc.page?incoden=esthag&indecade=0&involume=38&inissue=19
ONGOING RESEARCH
Research at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne
National Laboratory. Richard Wilkin and Robert Ford carried
out X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments at the Advanced
Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory on February
9-11. Wilkin and Ford's research at the APS supports GWERD
projects on inorganic contaminant fate and transport processes and
geochemical processes affecting the long-term performance of
Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) for ground-water restoration.
This recent effort focused on assessing the speciation of iron and
arsenic sediment and soil samples collected from several hazardous
waste sites.
(R. Wilkin(GWERD)580-436-8874)
(R. Ford (GWERD)580-436-8872)
MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
Stephen Kovash (GWERD) worked with ORMA on the ORD Grants Self Assessment Review in Washington D.C., February 14-18.
Richard Wilkin (GWERD) met with faculty at New Mexico State University (Las Cruces) from the Departments of Geological Sciences, Chemistry, and Agronomy and Horticulture on February 23. He presented an invited seminar in the Department of Geological Sciences titled "Remediation Strategies for Ground Water Contaminated with Metals: Chromium and Arsenic Case Studies."
TRAINING
On February 3, GWERD provided training to U.S. EPA Region 9 in San Francisco. The training was a one-day course titled "Capture Zone Analyses for Pump-and-Treat Systems." The course was attended by more than one hundred scientists from federal and state agencies. Those in attendance represented the U.S. EPA, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, the State of California, and federal/state contractors and consultants. The course provided a general overview of issues associated with capture zone evaluations for pump-and-treat systems and detailed discussions of techniques used for capture zone analysis. The focus was on capture zone analysis for porous media or aquifers that behave as a porous media and not karst or fractured rock systems. The course was taught by GeoTrans, Inc., a subcontractor to the Dynamac Corporation, which provides contractor support to EPA's Ground Water Technical Support Center in Ada, OK. Introductory remarks were provided by David S. Burden, Director of EPA's Ground Water Technical Support Center.
SPECIAL EMPHASIS PROGRAM NEWS
In recognition of Black History Month a video of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was shown to staff. From his youth Marshall's father instilled in him an appreciation for the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. In 1954 he won the landmark case that demolished a legal basis for segregation in America, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. During his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit he wrote over 150 decisions including support for the rights of immigrants, limiting government intrusion in cases involving illegal search and seizure, double jeopardy, and right to privacy issues. He became the first African American appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, holding that position from 1967-1991. Until his retirement Thurgood Marshall established a record for supporting the voiceless American.