Paraxylene Spill at a Petroleum Depot: Using 3D Visualization Results to Design Optimal Remedial Measures

Jacques Blanchet, Biogenie S.R.D.C. Inc., 350 Franquet Street, Sainte Foy, Quebec, G1P 4P3 Canada, Tel: 418-653-4422, Fax: 418-653-3583, Email: jblanchet@biogenie-env.com
Marc Guillemette, Jean-Gaulin Valero/Ultramar Refinery, 165, route des Iles, St-Romuald, Quebec, G6W 5M4 Canada, Tel: 418-835-8076, Fax: 418-835-8065, Email: marc_guillemette@ultramar.ca
Pierre Ouellette, Biogenie S.R.D.C. Inc., 1140 Levis Street, Lachenaie, Quebec, J6W 5S6 Canada, Tel: 450-961-3535, Fax: 450-961-0220, Email: pouellette@biogenie-env.com

In winter and spring of 2003, a major spill of paraxylene (p-xylene) occurred at a petroleum depot located on the shoreline of the St-Lawrence River in Montreal. The spill was estimated at more than 336,000 gallons and originated from a former petroleum tank farm leased and operated by another petrochemical company for the past ten years. As the spill was discovered when p-xylene was observed leaking into the river, immediate measures were required to recover the pollutant and reduce the leakage into the river.  This paper will document how 3D Visualization was strategically applied to first, understand the extent of the contamination in the subsurface and, second, to design optimal interim remedial measures.

The first step was to integrate existing site data onto the 3D tool to expedite the assessment of the extent of soil and groundwater contamination, and to define the boundaries of the free product plume.  In parallel, laboratory studies were performed to conceptualize the behaviour of the p-xylene in the soil as this chemical has the unusual property of solidifying at about 13^oC.  The results provided by the 3D tool were a primary factor in the design and implementation of optimal mitigation measures. As part of those measures, a 100-meter cement-bentonite wall was strategically installed to eliminate free product migration into the river.  Recovery equipment was installed in a trench constructed hydraulically upgradient of the wall to recover free product.  Recovery of the p-xylene represented a unique challenge in consideration of the physical properties of this product and the complex subsurface characteristics revealed by the 3D.  These interim measures are the first steps of a more comprehensive remediation project that may extend over several years.

Subtle Sampling Variations for Industrial Air Monitoring

Shannon Bouley, BEM Systems, Inc., 930 Woodcock Road, Suite 101, Orlando, FL 32803, Tel:  407-894-9900 x 126, Fax: 407-894-1089, Email: sbouley@bemsys.com
Susan Sitkoff, BEM Systems, Inc., 930 Woodcock Road, Suite 101, Orlando, FL 32803, Tel: 407-894-9900 x 126, Fax: 407-894-1089, Email: ssitkoff@bemsys.com

Mold has been a leading concern for many building owners, prompting for specific sampling plans being developed to test impacted heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. New regulations for vapor intrusion have been released by the USEPA, prompting assessment of buildings located in the vicinity of groundwater volatile organic plumes. While there seems to be an overlap for these two types of sampling, there are subtle variations that need to be followed in order to obtain the most accurate depiction of conditions in buildings for each of these concerns.

Mold is most commonly found inside HVAC systems and in areas with previous water damage. Based on these impacts, sampling must occur in the vicinity of the water damage or directly under the HVAC vents. Sampling plans for these concerns are straightforward and require the HVAC plans aided with a site walkthrough. Vapor intrusion requires a more complicated sampling plan. For this scenario, we are concerned with the accumulation of vapors potentially leaching through subslabs. Although the HVAC system plays a part in the sampling plan development, we are required to provide a more thorough evaluation of the potential entry points for these vapors. This paper will discuss the most appropriate sampling strategies for both scenarios for indoor air concerns.

Rapid Hydraulic Conductivity Tests Using Slug Test Accelerator Tool

Joshua Goldowitz, Rochester Institute of Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management & Safety Department, 78 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester NY 14623, Tel: 585-475-7018, Email: jxgctp@rit.edu

Hydraulic conductivity (K) is the most commonly measured hydraulic characteristic on contaminated sites because it is crucial for determining the velocity of contaminated groundwater. A new tool and technique is described which allows for an accurate K measurement in ¼ the time of a state-of-the-practice slug test.

Traditionally K is tested by introducing a solid cylinder (the slug) into a well and lowering it below water table. The well water is displaced upwards, producing a difference in water level (h_o) between the well and the aquifer. The residual difference in water level (h) is then monitored as the volume of displaced water seeps into the aquifer. This is known as a falling head test. The same results are obtained with a rising head test where water is removed from the well. In either case K is determined from the slope of h/h_o Vs. time.

The new tool consists of two coaxial 5’ tubes: the outer tube just fits within a 2” monitoring well and the inner tube is just large enough for the probe of an electric water level meter. The annulus between the tubes is sealed, and the inner tube has sufficient extensions to reach from the top of the well to below the water table. The well is “slugged” by inserting the bottom of the tool 1’ into the water. This produces a 4’ h_o in the inner tube. The test is completed by monitoring h in the inner tube.

The new tool and procedure is more rapid because it produces a large h_o for a given volume of displaced water. Field tests show close agreement between K results using the new tool and traditional slug testing.

An Optimization of a Bioassay for Toluene Analogs Using Bioluminescence Reporter Strain KG1206

In Chul Kong,    Dept. of Environ. Eng., Yeungnam University, Gyungsan-si, Kyungbuk 712-749, Korea, Tel: +82-53-810-2546, Fax: +82-53-810-4624, Email: ickong@yu.ac.kr
Yunhoo Jung, Hyung Kyung Ko and Myunghee Kim, Dept. of Environ. Eng., Yeungnam University, Gyungsan-si, Kyungbuk 712-749, Korea, Tel: +82-53-810-2546, Fax: +82-53-810-4624, Emails:chacha57@hanmail.net;kobetty@hanmail.net; lemon64@hanmail.net

Volatile organic compounds, such as the BTEX group, are common contaminants in environment throughout the industrialized world, and there is growing interest in the use of microbial processes for biomonitoring of these pollutants. The TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas putida, which is able to degrade toluene analogs and intermediates, is an example of a pathway that has been investigated well. The recombination of these with bioreporter genes, such as the lux (encoding luciferase) and the lacZ (encoding b–galaxtosidase) has become a great asset in biomonitoring of contaminated environments. In this study, a constructed genetically engineered strain of P. putida mt-2 KG1206 containing the intact TOL plasmid and a plasmid with the P_m-lux gene has been used to bioassay toluene analogs and intermediate in soil system. This type of strain can be used for the biomonitoring of environments contaminated with specific pollutants, and can establish a correlation between specific pollutant concentration and produced bioluminescence from reporter strain. However, the lack of standardization and existence of mixture is a major problem for this work.

In this study, characteristics and the effects of culture conditions on this constructed strain were investigated in the presence of toluene analogs and intermediates. In addition, quantification protocol for pollutant was developed for standardization.

Demonstrating Elimination of Nuisance Odors at Petroleum Contaminated Sites

Steven Low, Shaw Environmental, Inc., 3 Riverside Drive, Andover, MA 01810,Tel: 978-691-2120, Fax: 978-691-2101, Email: steven.low@shawgrp.com
Joanne Perwak, Shaw Environmental, Inc., 3 Riverside Drive, Andover, MA 01810, Tel: 978-691-2145, Fax: 978-691-2101, Email: joanne.perwak@shawgrp.com
Olaf Westphalen, Shaw Environmental, Inc., 3 Riverside Drive, Andover, MA 01810, Tel: 978-691-2120, Fax: 978-691-2101, Email: olaf.westphalen@shawgrp.com

Under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP), characterization of risk to public welfare considers the existence of nuisance conditions; such a condition includes odors of petroleum products and their breakdown products.  MADEP acknowledges that guidelines or standards that determine when a petroleum odor constitutes a nuisance condition are difficult to articulate.  However, guidance broadly defines a nuisance odor condition in terms of persistence and frequency.  A combined approach using assessment, monitoring, and evaluation was used to demonstrate that a nuisance odor condition did not exist at a former retail gasoline site.  Risks to human health and the environment had been eliminated at the gasoline-contaminated site.   Nuisance odors had been documented at the site prior to remediation.  Therefore, site closure required a means of demonstrating that a nuisance odor condition no longer existed.  An innovative investigative program was developed that included: focused ambient-air monitoring, field observations of odors at regular intervals, and focused odor testing.  Odor testing (via ASTM Method E 679, modified) was performed due to the subjectivity of odor detection and the difficulty in quantifying odors using standard air monitoring equipment.  This method utilizes a trained odor panel to evaluate air samples for odor character and average intensity.  Using the combination of conventional monitoring, field observations, and the odor panel results, it was shown that no significant risk to public welfare existed, thereby meeting all requirements for site closure. 

A Preliminary Environmental Site Investigation for a Bridge over the Mississippi River at Moline, Illinois

C. Brian Trask, Environmental Site Assessment Section, Illinois State Geological Survey, 615 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820-6964, Tel: 217-244-2421, Fax: 217-244-0029, Email:

A preliminary environmental site assessment along the alignment of I-74 and its bridge over the Mississippi River was completed by the Illinois State Geological Survey for the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2002.  The purpose of the survey was to determine any environmental concerns, both natural and man-made, that the Illinois DOT might encounter during activities to build a new bridge to carry I-74 over the Mississippi River between Moline, IL, and Davenport, IA.  A preliminary investigation of the project area from 27^th Street in Moline to 67^th Street in Davenport, using government lists, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, city directories, and a drive-through of the project area, identified a total of 127 sites that were believed to constitute a possible risk to the project.  Further investigation was conducted of 37 sites on the Illinois side of the river.  Location of the project in part of downtown Moline and long-time development of the Moline riverfront by industrial and commercial operations offered a variety of parcels for investigation, ranging from corner gasoline stations to railroads and foundry sites.  The dominant sites comprised current or former underground storage tank and leaking underground storage tank sites, automotive repair sites, and foundries and other sites where metals were handled.  Railroads, junk yards, cleaners, and spills made up the remainder of the sites investigated.  During a limited subsurface investigation, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds indicative of petroleum were detected at several sites.  Examples of some of these sites will be presented.

LNAPL and Hydrogeological Characterization of a Tidally Influenced Petroleum Bulk Terminal in the Northeast, USA

Andrew D. Walker, Shaw Environmental, Inc., 88C Elm Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748, Tel: 508-497-6143, Fax: 508-435-9641, Email: Andrew.walker@shawgrp.com
Lynn Maybury, Shaw Environmental, Inc., 88C Elm Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748, Tel: 508-497-6166, Fax: 508-435-9641, Email: lynn.maybury@shawgrp.com

Characterization of hydrogeologic and site conditions including groundwater flow direction, hydraulic gradient, LNAPL distribution, thickness, and type, and tidal influence was performed on an inactive petroleum bulk terminal in the northeast.  The study area encompassed approximately 10 acres located immediately adjacent to a tidally influenced water body with a 10 foot tidal range.  Twenty-five monitoring wells were installed and over 30 gauging points were utilized in this study.

Two discrete LNAPL plumes located 350 feet apart were characterized and found to consist of a weathered gasoline-like LNAPL and a No. 6 fuel oil-like LNAPL.  Each LNAPL plume was approximately 80 feet long by 40 feet wide. 

Groundwater flow at the site was bi-directional, with an east to west divide through the center of the site.  In addition, groundwater in two areas of the site flowed radially.  Multiple factors were attributed to the flow patterns including, lithology, groundwater infiltrating utilities, and the effects of the surface water body. 

Based upon a 24-hour tidal study, the majority of the site was tidally influenced with a maximum observed groundwater fluctuation of approximately 4 feet and an observed tidal influence as far as 320 feet from the surface water.  Interestingly, the groundwater response was not directly related to the proximity to the surface water or the tidal stage.  This observation likely relates to variations in seawall permeability and lithology.  No groundwater flow direction reversal due to tidal influence was observed.

Gradient ranges were calculated and varied considerably throughout the site.  Little to no gradient was observed in the upgradient area, which was not expected as the site topographically slopes downward 30 feet towards the surface water.  Upon completion of the study, site-specific conditions were well understood.  This detailed understanding of the site will facilitate the upcoming evaluation of remedial options.

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