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Ground Water Samples (ground + water_sample)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Engineering	90%

Selected Abstracts

Suggested Methods to Mitigate Bias from Nondissolved Petroleum in Ground Water Samples Collected from the Smear Zone

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 3 2009
Dawn A. Zemo
This article provides actual site data that confirm that turbid ground water samples collected from within the smear zone at petroleum release sites can be significantly biased high by the inclusion of a nondissolved component that is an artifact of the sampling process. Side-by-side comparisons show that reducing sample turbidity can result in significant reductions of reported concentrations for the ground water samples and that the lower turbidity results are more representative of the petroleum actually dissolved in the ground water. Depending on site-specific factors, ground water sample turbidity can be reduced by four field-based and two laboratory-based methods. These methods should be used routinely at sites where turbid samples with a nondissolved component are being collected. [source]

Ground Water Discharge and Nitrate Flux to the Gulf of Mexico

GROUND WATER, Issue 3 2004
Carolyn B. Dowling
Ground water samples (37 to 186 m depth) from Baldwin County, Alabama, are used to define the hydrogeology of Gulf coastal aquifers and calculate the subsurface discharge of nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico. The ground water flow and nitrate flux have been determined by linking ground water concentrations to 3H/3He and 4He age dates. The middle aquifer (A2) is an active flow system characterized by postnuclear tritium levels, moderate vertical velocities, and high nitrate concentrations. Ground water discharge could be an unaccounted source for nutrients in the coastal oceans. The aquifers annually discharge 1.1 ± 0.01 × 108 moles of nitrate to the Gulf of Mexico, or 50% and 0.8% of the annual contributions from the Mobile-Alabama River System and the Mississippi River System, respectively. In southern Baldwin County, south of Loxley, increasing reliance on ground water in the deeper A3 aquifer requires accurate estimates of safe ground water withdrawal. This aquifer, partially confined by Pliocene clay above and Pensacola Clay below, is tritium dead and contains elevated 4He concentrations with no nitrate and estimated ground water ages from 100 to 7000 years. The isotopic composition and concentration of natural gas diffusing from the Pensacola Clay into the A3 aquifer aids in defining the deep ground water discharge. The highest 4He and CH4 concentrations are found only in the deepest sample (Gulf State Park), indicating that ground water flow into the Gulf of Mexico suppresses the natural gas plume. Using the shape of the CH4 -He plume and the accumulation of 4He rate (2.2 ± 0.8 ,cc/kg/1000 years), we estimate the natural submarine discharge and the replenishment rate for the A3 aquifer. [source]

Ground Water Transfer Initiates Complete Reductive Dechlorination in a PCE-Contaminated Aquifer

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 3 2007
R. Lookman
We conducted a field test to investigate whether ground water transfer from one site (showing complete natural reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes to ethene) could induce full reductive dechlorination at another site polluted with tetrachloroethene and its partial dechlorination products trichloroethene and cis -dichloroethene (cDCE). Addition of electron donor (lactate) at the test site established low redox conditions but did not stimulate further dechlorination past cDCE. After transferring 2 m3 of ground water from the first site to the test site, full dechlorination commenced and high levels of ethene were measured to distances up to 6 m downstream of the injection location within 7 months. Ground water samples from monitoring wells were analyzed before and after inoculation of the test site for the presence of Dehalococcoides species (16S ribosomal RNA) and vinyl chloride reductase (vCRA) genes using the polymerase chain reaction. These tests showed that Dehalococcoides species were present both before and after ground water transfer, while vCRA genes were detected at the test site only after ground water transfer. The vCRA genes were detected in ground water samples collected 6 m downstream of the injection locations 7 months after ground water transfer, suggesting that the microorganisms carrying the dehalogenase genes were effectively transported in the aquifer. [source]

Pharmaceuticals and Other Organic Waste Water Contaminants Within a Leachate Plume Downgradient of a Municipal Landfill

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 2 2004
Kimberlee K. Barnes
Ground water samples collected from the Norman Landfill research site in central Oklahoma were analyzed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic waste water contaminants (OWCs) in ground water. Five sites, four of which are located downgradient of the landfill, were sampled in 2000 and analyzed for 76 OWCs using four research methods developed by the USGS. OWCs were detected in water samples from all of the sites sampled, with 22 of the 76 OWCs being detected at least once. Cholesterol (a plant and animal steroid), was detected at all five sites and was the only compound detected in a well upgradient of the landfill. N,N-diethyltoluamide (DEBT used in insect repellent) and tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (fire-retardant) were detected in water samples from all four sites located within the landfill-derived leachate plume. The sites closest to the landfill had more detections and greater concentrations of each of the detected compounds than sites located farther away. Detection of multiple OWCs occurred in the four sites located within the leachate plume, with a minimum of four and a maximum of 17 OWCs detected. Because the landfill was established in the 1920s and closed in 1985, many compounds detected in the leachate plume were likely disposed of decades ago. These results indicate the potential for long-term persistence and transport of some OWCs in ground water. [source]

A New Multilevel Ground Water Monitoring System Using Multichannel Tubing

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 4 2002
Murray D. Einarson
A new multilevel ground water monitoring system has been developed that uses custom-extruded flexible 1.6-inch (4.1 cm) outside-diameter (O.D.) multichannel HOPE tubing (referred to as Continuous Multichannel Tubing or CMT) to monitor as many as seven discrete zones within a single borehole in either unconsolidated sediments or bedrock. Prior to inserting the tubing in the borehole, ports are created that allow ground water to enter six outer pie-shaped channels (nominal diameter = 0.5 inch [1.3 cm]) and a central hexagonal center channel (nominal diameter = 0.4 inch [1 cm]) at different depths, facilitating the measurement of depth-discrete piezometric heads and the collection of depth-discrete ground water samples. Sand packs and annular seals between the various monitored zones can be installed using conventional tremie methods. Alternatively, bentonite packers and prepacked sand packs have been developed that are attached to the tubing at the ground surface, facilitating precise positioning of annular seals and sand packs. Inflatable rubber packers for permanent or temporary installations in bedrock aquifers are currently undergoing site trials. Hydraulic heads are measured with conventional water-level meters or electronic pressure transducers to generate vertical profiles of hydraulic head. Ground water samples are collected using peristaltic pumps, small-diameter bailers, inertial lift pumps, or small-diameter canister samplers. For monitoring hydrophobic organic compounds, the CMT tubing is susceptible to both positive and negative biases caused by sorption, desorption, and diffusion. These biases can be minimized by: (1) purging the channels prior to sampling, (2) collecting samples from separate 0.25-inch (0.64 cm) O.D. Teflon sampling tubing inserted to the bottom of each sampling channel, or (3) collecting the samples downhole using sampling devices positioned next to the intake ports. More than 1000 CMT multilevel wells have been installed in North America and Europe to depths up to 260 feet (79 m) below ground surface. These wells have been installed in boreholes created in unconsolidated sediments and bedrock using a wide range of drilling equipment, including sonic, air rotary, diamond-bit coring, hollow-stem auger, and direct push. This paper presents a discussion of three field trials of the system, demonstrating its versatility and illustrating the type of depth-discrete data that can be collected with the system. [source]

Disposable Screen-Printed Edge Band Ultramicroelectrodes for the Determination of Trace Amounts of Nitrite Ion

ELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 10 2006
Jen-Lin Chang
Abstract The application of linear scan voltammetry for sensitive determination of nitrite by using a disposable screen-printed edge band carbon ultramicroelectrode (designated as SPUME) was reported in this study. The measurement with the SPUME can be performed in solutions of low ionic strength, e.g., natural waters, because the ohmic loses are negligible. The limiting oxidation current of nitrite showed a wide linear range up to 3,mM at the SPUME. A relative standard deviation of 2.46% (n=5) for analyzing 5,,M nitrite indicated a detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.38,,M. Real sample analysis of mineral and ground water samples as well as bratwurst food product showed satisfactory results. Since the SPUME is low cost and easy for mass production, the disposable nature further offers to application in diverse field of electroanalytical chemistry. [source]

A Modular Injection System, Multilevel Sampler, and Manifold for Tracer Tests

GROUND WATER, Issue 6 2003
Brian J. Mailloux
Ground water injection and sampling systems were developed for bacterial transport experiments in both homogenous and heterogeneous unconsolidated, surficial aquifers. Two types of injection systems, a large single tank and a dynamic mixing tank, were designed to deliver more than 800 L of amended ground water to the aquifer over 12 hours, without altering the ground water temperature, pH, Eh, or dissolved gas composition. Two types of multilevel samplers (MLSs) were designed and installed. Permanent MLSs performed well for the homogenous surficial aquifer, but their installation procedure promoted vertical mixing, which could obfuscate experimental data obtained from vertically stratified, heterogeneous aquifers. A novel, removable MLS was designed to fit in 2- and 4-inch wells. Expandable O-rings between each sampling port hydraulically isolated each port for sample collection when a nut was tightened at the land surface. A low-cost vacuum manifold system designed to work with both MLS designs used 50 mL centrifuge tubes to efficiently sample 12 MLS ports with one peristaltic pump head. The integrated system was developed and used during four field campaigns over a period of three years. During each campaign, more than 3000 ground water samples were collected in less than one week. This system should prove particularly useful for ground water tracer, injection, and push-pull experiments that require high-frequency and/or high-density sampling. [source]