New Cost-Effective Method for Long-Term Groundwater Monitoring Programs
ER-1601
Objective
New approaches for groundwater monitoring are needed to alleviate the long-term cost burdens of the existing programs at Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. The current groundwater monitoring programs using traditional protocols comprise a significant portion of life-cycle remediation costs. Presently, these monitoring systems principally use techniques that are 25 to 30 years old and involve multiple time-consuming and costly steps, including sample collection, sample handling and shipping, laboratory analysis, and data evaluation. This process can be made more efficient by reducing the number of steps and making use of improved knowledge and technologies for sample analysis.
The objectives of this project are to evaluate the accuracy and cost of vapor-phase groundwater monitoring technologies; compare three different configurations of field-based, vapor-phase groundwater monitoring technologies to existing groundwater monitoring technologies; using statistical methods, assess the sampling variability contributed by a variety of aquifer and well construction characteristics to determine the impact of these characteristics on attainment of equilibrium partitioning between the water and vapor phases; and develop practical guidelines for the use of vapor-phase groundwater monitoring for various applications.
Technical Approach
The project will consist of (1) a laboratory study to validate the use of field-portable vapor-phase monitoring equipment to determine volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in water samples by measuring the VOC concentration in the vapor-phase in equilibrium with the water sample and (2) a field study to identify the conditions where equilibrium partitioning occurs between groundwater and well headspace vapors. The field study will compare three different vapor-phase sample configurations (sampling of headspace in well capped by impermeable seal, tube with impermeable membrane positioned within well screen, and a diffusion bag with reference gas) to determine the impact of the vapor-phase headspace location within the well on attainment of equilibrium partitioning between the water and vapor phases. The field study will involve collaboration with ongoing monitoring programs at multiple DoD and commercial sites in a large number of wells, with a goal of at least 300 groundwater monitoring wells for comparison. In addition, the accuracy of vapor-phase monitoring will be evaluated for a variety of aquifer and well construction characteristics to determine the impact of these characteristics on attainment of equilibrium partitioning between the water and vapor phases.
Benefits
This new approach for groundwater monitoring, involving vapor-phase monitoring within the well casing, can potentially reduce current remediation costs by $48 million per year for DoD facilities, while significantly improving the speed and efficiency of existing monitoring programs. These advantages are achieved by reducing or removing steps in the traditional groundwater sampling and analysis process, particularly with respect to less intensive labor costs and the elimination of shipping and laboratory analyses. (Anticipated Project Completion – 2012)
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Dr. Charles Newell
GSI Environmental Inc.
Phone: 713-522-6300
Fax: 713-522-8010
Document Types
- Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
- Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
- Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
- Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
- Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
- Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
- Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
- Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
- Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.