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Extraction Of Contaminant Source Information from Site Investigation Data
Oral Presentation
Prepared by J. Lu
AECOM, 3995 Via Oro Ave., Long Beach, CA, 90810
Contact Information: Jun.Lu@aecom.com; 562-420-2933
ABSTRACT
During site investigations, large amounts of chemical data are collected from various types of media including soil, water and air. The data are typically used for delineation of contaminants or to assess other environmental concerns (i.e., health and safety, toxicity, vapor intrusion, etc.). At sites where the financial responsibility is not an issue, effort made to understand the source(s) of contaminants is typically minimal. Unfortunately, sources of contaminants cannot be neglected in site investigations, especially for large and complicated sites. As the source is the starting point of the contaminant migration pathways, which governs the distribution of contaminants of concern, erroneous interpretation of the source(s) results in a flawed conceptual site model (CSM). A flawed CSM can then result in an inappropriate approach and design basis for a remediation system.
Source issues are typically resolved using environmental forensics. However, at sites under investigation, “real” forensic data are often not collected. This paper presents various methods to maximize the use of typical site investigation data to better understand contaminant source(s). Case studies will be presented to demonstrate how the laboratory data obtained using EPA Methods 8015, EPA 8260, EPA 8070 and other analyses are employed for source identification of and age dating contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, and PAHs. The processing and analysis of site investigation data for source related information may be sufficient to resolve source issues. When the aforementioned analysis does not meet the project objectives, the initial findings can be used as the basis to conduct additional laboratory analyses to address data gaps including any specific forensic analyses.
Oral Presentation
Prepared by J. Lu
AECOM, 3995 Via Oro Ave., Long Beach, CA, 90810
Contact Information: Jun.Lu@aecom.com; 562-420-2933
ABSTRACT
During site investigations, large amounts of chemical data are collected from various types of media including soil, water and air. The data are typically used for delineation of contaminants or to assess other environmental concerns (i.e., health and safety, toxicity, vapor intrusion, etc.). At sites where the financial responsibility is not an issue, effort made to understand the source(s) of contaminants is typically minimal. Unfortunately, sources of contaminants cannot be neglected in site investigations, especially for large and complicated sites. As the source is the starting point of the contaminant migration pathways, which governs the distribution of contaminants of concern, erroneous interpretation of the source(s) results in a flawed conceptual site model (CSM). A flawed CSM can then result in an inappropriate approach and design basis for a remediation system.
Source issues are typically resolved using environmental forensics. However, at sites under investigation, “real” forensic data are often not collected. This paper presents various methods to maximize the use of typical site investigation data to better understand contaminant source(s). Case studies will be presented to demonstrate how the laboratory data obtained using EPA Methods 8015, EPA 8260, EPA 8070 and other analyses are employed for source identification of and age dating contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, and PAHs. The processing and analysis of site investigation data for source related information may be sufficient to resolve source issues. When the aforementioned analysis does not meet the project objectives, the initial findings can be used as the basis to conduct additional laboratory analyses to address data gaps including any specific forensic analyses.