United States Solid Waste and EPA 542-N-99-007 ...

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The Applied Technologies

Newsletter for Superfund

Removals & Remedial

Actions & RCRA Corrective

Action

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United States Solid Waste and EPA 542-N-99-007Environmental Protection Emergency Response October 1999Agency (5102G) Issue No. 35

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This issue highlights recentdemonstration results and newtechnical resources on severalinnovative technologies forsite characterization andprocess monitoring.

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by Eric Koglin and Steve Billets,U.S. EPA National ExposureResearch Laboratory

Four soil sampling technologies forcollecting volatile organic compounds(VOCs) were among those tested over thepast four years under the Monitoring andMeasurement Technology portion of theU.S. EPA’s Superfund InnovativeTechnology Evaluation (SITE) Programand the Site Characterization andMonitoring Technologies (SCMT) Pilotof the Environmental TechnologyVerification (ETV) Program. The SCMTPilot is one of 12 ETV pilots designed toverify the performance of commercial-ready environmental technologies. Thepurpose of these verification programs isto accelerate the development andcommercialization of improved environ-mental technology through third partyverification and reporting of perfor-mance. The goal of the ETV Program isto verify the performance characteristicsof commercial-ready environmentaltechnologies through the evaluation ofobjective and quality-assured data so thatpotential purchasers and permitters areprovided with an independent andcredible assessment of the technologythat they are buying or permitting. Thepurpose of the SITE Program is toconduct research and performanceverification studies of alternative orinnovative technologies that may be used

to achieve long-term protection ofhuman health and the environment.

The soil sampling technology demon-stration, which was conducted at theSBA Site in Albert City, IA, and theCSC Site in Denver, CO, was designedto generate performance information foreach participating technology. Thedemonstration design required collectionof soil samples by both the testedtechnology and the reference samplingmethod (split spoon sampler). Sampleswere sent to a commercial laboratory foranalysis, and the analytical results wereused to compare the performance of thetested samplers with that of the referencesampler. Comparisons between tech-nologies, however, were not made.

A pre-demonstration sampling exercisewas used to delineate sampling locationsat the two sites. A 10.5- by 10.5-footarea was identified at each site anddivided into seven rows and sevencolumns, producing 49 18- by 18-inchsampling cells. Twelve grid-depthcombinations exhibiting consistent soiltexture, acceptable VOC concentrations,and acceptable variability in VOCconcentrations were selected for thedemonstration. A sample cell in eachcolumn was selected randomly.

Four soil sampling technologies weretested:• Simulprobe Technologies, Inc.’s

Core Barrel Sampler

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• Art’s Manufacturing and Supply’sAMS Dual Tube Liner Sampler

• Geoprobe Systems, Inc.’s Large-BoreSoil Sampler

• Clements Associates, Inc.’s JMCEnvironmentalist’s Subsoil Probe

Each soil sampling technology wascompared to the reference samplingmethod in terms of the following param-eters: (1) sample recovery, (2) VOCconcentration in recovered samples, (3)sample integrity, (4) reliability andthroughput, and (5) cost. These param-eters were assessed in two different soiltextures and in high- and low-concentra-tion areas at each site. In addition,integrity tests were conducted by advanc-ing a sampler filled with uncontaminatedpotting soil into a zone of grosslycontaminated soil.

Selected highlights of the performanceresults are provided in Figure 1. Finalverification reports on these technologiesare available for downloading through theETV Web site at www.epa.gov/etv.

Under the SCMT Pilot, a total of 29innovative technologies have been testedand verified, including 2 cone

penetrometer-deployed sensors, 2 field-portable gas chromatograph/massspectrometers, 2 soil gas samplers, 7field-portable X-ray fluorescenceanalyzers, 7 field analytical technologiesfor polychlorinated biphenyls, and 5wellhead monitoring technologies. Formore information, contact Steve Billetsor Eric Koglin (EPA/National ExposureResearch Laboratory) at 702-798-2232 or702-798-2432, or [email protected] [email protected]; Dan Powell (EPA/Technology Innovation Office) at 703-603-7196 or e-mail [email protected]; or visit the ETV Web site atwww.epa.gov/etv.

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by Michael Fracasso, State ofConnecticut/Department ofEnvironmental Protection, andKatherine Sequino, DirectionalTechnologies, Inc.

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) canbe used to obtain soil samples withoutdisrupting the operations of activeindustrial facilities and without violatingthe structural integrity of building floorslabs. HDD technology was employed at

an electronics circuit manufacturing sitein Danbury, CT, to determine if historicaloperations had impacted sub-slab soilslocated beneath areas of environmentalconcern (AECs), including a number ofsolid waste management units (SWMUs),inside the plant building. The State ofConnecticut’s Department of Environ-mental Protection (DEP), which reviewedenvironmental monitoring and samplingstrategies at this site under the State’sRCRA Voluntary Corrective ActionProgram, found that the use of HDDprovided significant benefits overconventional vertical drilling methods.Conventional drilling would haverequired temporary shut-down of thefacility while sampling activities oc-curred, and possibly created newcontaminant pathways by drilling throughan epoxy-coated, layered concrete floorslab that had been designed to be imper-vious.

Horizontal soil sampling begins with thedrilling of an angled bore hole from theground surface (Figure 2). The bore’spath then is leveled, and sections of drillpipe are added as the bore progressestoward a designated target point. Next,the drill bit is pulled out of the bore pathand replaced by the sampling tool. Aftersamples are taken, the sampling tool ispulled out of the bore path and replacedby the drill bit to continue drilling. Thisprocess is repeated for each required soilsample location. Soil conditions at theDanbury site allowed for drilling andsampling to be completed without adrilling fluid additive.

At the Danbury site, seven soil sampleswere collected by advancing threehorizontal bore holes through the con-crete foundation wall of themanufacturing building. One bore holewas sampled at various distances from thefoundation to assess soil conditions

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Figure 1. Highlights of Soil Sampling Technology Demonstration

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beneath SWMU 10, the present manufac-turing area, and AEC 18. The secondbore hole was sampled to collect addi-tional information on soil below thepresent manufacturing area and AEC 18,and on soil associated with overlyingSWMUs 9 and 11. The third bore holewas sampled to provide data on soilbelow a waste management area compris-ing eight additional SWMUs. Whensampling was completed, each boring wasbackfilled with concrete grout.

If conventional vertical drilling tech-niques had been used to obtain soilsamples at this site, facility operationswould have had to cease temporarilyduring drilling and while equipment wasmoved between sample locations. UsingHDD technology, however, no facilityoperations were disrupted during theentire period of sampling. For moreinformation, contact Michael Fracasso(State of Connecticut/DEP) at 860-424-3303 or e-mail [email protected]; Katherine Sequino (Direc-tional Technologies, Inc.) at 203-248-9599 or e-mail [email protected]; or Mark Franson (Charter OakEnvironmental Services, Inc.) at 860-423-2670 or e-mail [email protected].

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by Don Vroblesky, U.S. GeologicalSurvey

The ability of trees to take up chlorinatedaliphatic compounds (CAHs) makes theanalysis of tree cores a potentially cost-effective and simple approach toexamining CAH contamination in soiland shallow ground water. In addition,this technology can assist in optimizingwell placement at hazardous waste sites.At the TNX Area of the U.S. Departmentof Energy’s Savannah River Site, SC, theU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recentlystudied the cores of six species of treesgrowing over shallow ground watercontaminated with cis-1,2-dichloroethene(cDCE) and trichloroethene (TCE).Analysis indicated that cDCE and TCEconcentrations in the trees reflected theconfiguration of chlorinated-solventground-water contamination plumes.

Between January 1997 and February1998, cores were taken from mature treesgrowing above and in the vicinity of a

forested flood plain with contaminatedground water in the TNX Area. TheUSGS studied the cores of 97 trees,including 64 bald cypress (Taxodiumdistichum [L.] Rich), 12 loblolly pine(Pinus taeda L.) 5 tupelo (Nyssa aquaticaL.), 7 sweet gums (Liquidambarstryaciflua L.), 6 oaks (Quercus spp.), and3 sycamores (Platanus occidentalis L.).At selected trees, two cores were col-lected approximately 25 millimeters fromeach other to compare replication. Thecores then were analyzed using headspacegas chromatography.

Resulting data were used to evaluatedifferences in TCE and cDCE concentra-tions among tree species and betweensites (control versus contaminated). Coreanalytical results also were compared toground water samples taken in May andAugust 1987. The area where cDCE wasfound in trees occurred along a pathcoincident with the ground water flowpath from a contaminant source, andcoincided with areas where cDCE wasfound in ground water. The distributionof trees containing TCE was morewidespread, however, suggesting that asecond plume of TCE exists in theaquifer.

Differences in contaminant uptake amongthe species also were identified, with thehighest demonstrated by bald cypress andloblolly pine. TCE concentrations ashigh as 2,000-3,000 nmol/L were foundin cypress pine and 1,742 nmol/L inloblolly pine. Additionally, TCE concen-trations decreased in cores collected fromsuccessively higher parts of the trunk.

Contact Don Vroblesky (USGS) at 803-750-6115 or e-mail [email protected] more information.

Figure 2. Installation of a Horizontal Well

United States Solid Waste and EPA 542-N-99-007Environmental Protection Emergency Response October 1999Agency (5102G) Issue No. 35

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The U.S. EPA’s Office of Solid Wasteand Emergency Response (OSWER) isundertaking an initiative to advance newsystems for monitoring hazardous wastesites. Although significant technological

advances have occurred over recent yearsin the areas of chemical constituentidentification and quantification, geo-physical analysis, and informationmanagement, increased efforts are neededto integrate these new tools into ongoingsite investigation and cleanup.

The Measurement & Monitoring Tech-nologies for the 21st Century initiative,known as 21M2, will match existing andemerging technologies with OSWERprogram and client needs throughpartnerships to research and evaluate newequipment and processes in the field. Itwill also aggressively pursue the transferof information and lessons learned toprofessionals in the hazardous wastemanagement and site remediationcommunities. To obtain more informa-tion or provide input on technologyneeds, contact Dan Powell (EPA/OSWERTechnology Innovation Office) at 703-603-7196 or e-mail [email protected],or visit the Hazardous Waste Clean-UpInformation (CLU-IN) Web site athttp://clu-in.org.

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The Field-Based Site Characteriza-tion Technologies Training Programis a five-day, advanced-level trainingprogram designed to provide adetailed introduction to on-sitetechnologies that can be used tocharacterize a site, and an overview ofthe planning and process issuesassociated with field analytical andsampling technologies. This course isdesigned for experienced environmen-tal professionals who are involved inthe use of field-based technologies,related data interpretation, or relatedreport preparation.

The training will be offered in variouscities over the coming year at no costto participants. To obtain additionalinformation, contact the CERCLAEducation Center at 703-603-9910 orvisit EPA’s Internet home page ontraining opportunities athttp://www.trainex.org.

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