Andy Davis, Geomega, 2995 Baseline Road, Suite 202, Boulder, CO  80303, Tel: 303-938-4083, Email: andy@geomega.com
K.A. Hoenke, Chevron Environmental Management Company, 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA  94583

Differentiating contamination among multi-party sites operated over a period of several decades can be complicated, especially when there is substantial yet uncoordinated body of environmental data. At a site adjacent to the Yukon River, a refinery operated for 11 months by firm A was sold and subsequently operated as a fuels terminal for 50 years by firm B before being transferred to firm C in 1995 which continued terminal operations.   Hydrocarbons were detected discharging into the Yukon River in 1997, firm C was ordered to prevent this, which they did, at considerable expense. Firm C proceeded to sue Firms A and B for cost recovery, alleging that detected contamination derived principally from the period of refinery operations (Firm A) which used Norman Wells crude (NWC) as feedstock.

To obtain a clearer understanding of the evolution of environmental releases at the site, free product and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for a wide range of petrochemical markers. On aggregate, 8 discrete plumes were identified and their periods of origin determined by the presence or absence of historical gasoline additives, examination of aerial photos, historical data, isotopes, chromatographic patterns, n-paraffin ratios and degradation rates which in the boreal Yukon are slower than in more temperate climates.

The results of the analysis identified that the majority of releases occurred during the long tenure of Firm B, with Firm C contributing to more recent conditions based on photographic evidence. Firm A was demonstrated to contribute a de minimis fraction of contamination based primarily on a biomarker analysis. Of interest was the commonality in biomarker ratios between North Slope, NW, Alberta and British Columbia crudes that render biomarker analysis ambiguous for such light, sweet crudes. In addition, direct comparison of n-paraffins demonstrated clear forensic differences between free phase and NWC.

Why Sometimes it is a Good Idea to Bury Your Head in the Sand – A Case Study of Environmental Forensics

Michael P. Flynn, SEA Consultants Inc., 485 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, Tel: 617-498-4621, Fax: 617-498-4775, Email:  michael.flynn@seacon.com
William J. Mallio, Ph.D., LSP, P.G., LEP, SEA Consultants Inc., 485 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, Tel: 617-498-4635, Fax: 617-498-4775, Email: william.mallio@seacon.com,  
David Knowlton, P.E. Gloucester City Engineer, City of Gloucester, 22 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, Tel: 978-281-9773, Fax: 978-281-9725, Email: dknowlton@ci.gloucester.ma.us

Imported backfill and topsoil can originate from a number of sources, not all of which are free of contamination.  Presented in this paper is a case study of the investigation of questionable topsoil and backfill that was placed on over 900 residential properties over several years as part of landscaping restoration activities associated with a sewer improvement project in the City of Gloucester.   The paper presents the development of a forensic approach to determining the source, time period and distribution of the questionable topsoil and backfill used on the project.   The approach developed significantly reduced the number of samples needed to identify the problem and evaluate the risk under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan.   Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis were conducted to definitively identify the nature of the contaminants.  The presentation includes the development of the approach, a presentation of the findings and statistical analysis of the analytical data and selected SEM photomicrographs and EDX spectra.  The presentation concludes with practical recommendations for property owners, municipalities and project managers to prevent the use of poor quality topsoil or backfill on their project or property.

Evaluation of Solvent Plume Discharge to a Wetland Stream using an Innovative Passive Diffusion Sampling Methodology

Lucas A. Hellerich, Project Engineer. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., 860 North Main Street Extension, Wallingford, CT 06492, Tel: 203-741-2821, Email: lucas.hellerich@m-e.com
John L. Albrecht, L.E.P., Project Manager. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., 860 North Main Street Extension, Wallingford, CT 06492, Tel: 203-741-2826, Email: john.albrecht@m-e.com
Richard C. Schwenger, P.Eng., Regional Reclamation Manager. Noranda Inc., P.O. Box 200, Bathurst, N.B. Canada E2A 3Z2, Tel: 506-547-5015, Email: schwengr@nb.aibn.com

This paper describes the first phase of a multi-phase project currently underway to delineate a chlorinated solvent (primarily trichloroethylene [TCE]), plume in groundwater downgradient of a former industrial site.  The TCE was introduced to the subsurface environment at the site, resulting in a groundwater plume extending from the on-site source to a wetland-stream complex, the primary discharge point for groundwater migrating from the site.  To date, the plume has been delineated from the source to the upgradient edge of the wetland via quarterly groundwater sampling through a network of monitoring wells.  At the upgradient edge of the wetland, TCE concentrations in groundwater remain elevated, while products of reductive dechlorination are present.  Additionally, surface water sampling indicates that the solvent plume is discharging to a stream that drains the wetland.

The first phase of the plume delineation project consisted of a recently completed solvent plume discharge evaluation (SPDE), with the objective of evaluating the locations of solvent plume discharge to the wetland stream.  The SPDE was cost-effectively conducted by deploying passive diffusion samplers (PDSs) in the wetland stream sediments at 45 locations along a 1,900 foot length of the stream.  Once equilibrium between the PDSs and the sediment pore water was attained, the concentrations of chlorinated ethylenes in the PDS samplers were measured.  The analytical results were mapped as a function of stream length and indicate a definitive point of plume discharge to the stream and a possible plume fringe.  The results were also correlated with sediment type, water quality parameters, and piezometric measurements obtained during this work.  The ratios of degradation products to TCE were greater in the PDS samplers than ratios observed at upgradient monitoring locations, indicating an increasing natural attenuation potential as the plume migrates through the wetland.  The results of the SPDE are currently being utilized to focus the next phase of plume delineation.

Determining the Source of Hydrocarbon Sheen Using Chromatogram Fingerprinting and Biomarker Source Ratio Analysis

P. James Linton, Blasland Bouck and Lee, Inc., 3350 Buschwood Park Drive, Suite 100, Tampa, Florida 33618, Tel: 813-933-0697, Fax: 813-932-9514, Email: pjl@bbl-inc.com

During the mid to late 1800’s, the predecessor to a major oil company (The Company) operated a refining complex along the banks of the Allegheny River in the Western Pennsylvania.  Records indicate that various refining, manufacturing and petroleum storage operations, conducted by other entities, have also occurred at the site since at least 1877.  Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PADER) notified The Company of the existence of localized oil sheen visible on the Allegheny River.

The sheen apparently originated from a location along the River that may be experiencing impact from a variety of sources, including asphaltic tar material buildup on the river bank (resulting from former refinery operations), and an accumulation of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in groundwater potentially discharging to the River (the result of current bulk storage operations).  Determining the actual source of the sheen became critical for allocation of potentially significant remedial costs and future Natural Resources Damages (NRD) between The Company and other Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs).

This paper describes the sampling strategy that was developed for the sheen and potential source materials, sampling methods that were developed and employed to provide representative samples, an evaluation of the chromatogram fingerprinting and double ratio plot analysis of specific PAHs and biomarkers, and the conclusions of the study.

Historical and Chemical Determination of the Sources of PAHs in Soils at a Former Coal-Burning Power Plant, New Haven, Connecticut

Scott A. Stout, Ph.D., Newfields – Environmental, Forensics Practice, LLC, 100 Ledgewood Place, Suite 302, Rockland, MA  02370, Tel: 781-681-5042, Email:  sstout@newfields.com
Timothy N. Wasielewski, Advanced Environmental Interface, Inc., 8 Old Indian Trail, Middlefield, CT 06455, Tel: 860-349-3559, Fax: 860-349-2286, Email:  tim_aei@SNET.Net

The English Station power plant in New Haven, Connecticut had operated for nearly 100 years before being decommissioned in 1992.    The property is located on a largely man-made island located in the Mill River.   Historical records research indicated that almost all of English Station island’s land mass above the original mud flats appears to have been derived from dredged spoils from the east and west branches of the Mill River between 1900 and the early 1930’s.    Soils from the property had been previously shown to contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at concentrations that exceed the state’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) acceptable levels for commercial properties.   Understanding the source(s) of these PAH was important for future property and environmental management decisions.  This study was conducted to assess the industrial use history of the Mill River study area and conduct detailed chemical characterization of the extractable hydrocarbons in soils from the site, particularly the PAH, in order to determine their likely source(s).  Soil samples  (n=68; surface to 27 ft. below grade) were extracted and analyzed for total extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and a subset were then selected for analysis via (1) a modified EPA Method 8270 for an extended suite of PAH (n=35) and/or (2) organic petrology (n=25). The results indicate that most PAH in the soils studied are derived from MGP tar(s) and non-specific, residual petroleum wastes.   Synthesis of the industrial history of the study area and the chemistry and organic petrology of soil demonstrated that the dredged sediments used to construct the English Station island contained MGP tar(s) and petroleum wastes discharged from historic MGP and/or other industrial operations on the Mill River.  The more recent coal combustion operations on the English Station property have contributed lower amounts of PAH, in the form of particulate coal and bottom ash (clinker), but with a spatially limited distribution.

Use of Total Lead Concentrations in Environmental Forensics Age-Dating of Subsurface Gasoline Contamination 

Michael J. Wade, Wade Research, Inc., 110 Holly Road, Marshfield, MA 02105-1724

Forensic age-dating of subsurface gasoline releases in the United States of America using total lead concentrations is being used today to resolve environmental, financial and legal liability disputes in environmental pollution cases. Assumptions originating from U.S. Government regulations governing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated leaded gasoline phase down promulgated in the 1980s, which are implicit in such methodology, are wrong. Assumptions do not reflect existing chemical data on the composition of leaded gasoline sold in the U.S. over the decades of the 1940s through the 1990s. Review of existing leaded gasoline data in national motor fuel surveys over a 50-year time period revealed that total lead concentrations in leaded gasoline were too variable to be predictable based solely upon the context of U.S. Government regulations. Environmental forensics approaches for age-dating gasoline contamination using total lead concentrations result in highly variable and scientifically unreliable conclusions and must not be used to resolve environmental, financial and legal liability disputes.

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