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NRMRL MONTHLY REPORT FOR MARCH 2004

Stephen G. Schmelling, Division Director

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

W. R. Grace Superfund Site, Region I: On March 11, 2004, David Jewett (GWERD) and Mingyu Wang (Shaw-CSMoS) provided RPM Derrick Golden with review comments on additional ground-water flow model outputs for the W.R. Grace Superfund Site in Acton, MA. The comments were offered following a January 15, 2004, briefing on the status of flow and transport models held at the Geo Trans, Inc. offices in Harvard, MA. A number of issues were discussed including model design and calibration, impact of ground-water withdrawals on boundary conditions, grid discretization, and use of site-specific versus literature data. It was recommended that model refinements continue and the performance be evaluated periodically to insure that the results are reliable.
(D. Jewett(GWERD)580-436-8560)

Chemical Leamen Tank Lines Superfund Site, Region II: On March 3, 2004, GWERD staff Scott Huling and Dominic DiGiulio and Bruce Pivetz (Dynamac) provided RPM Farnaz Saghafi with technical comments on an in-situ chemical oxidation test plan at the Chemical Leamen Tank Lines Superfund Site in Bridgeport, NJ. The soil vacuum extraction (SVE) system and operation were questioned with regard to capturing volatiles released during in-situ Fenton oxidation. Detailed comments were offered in a number of areas including the chemical oxidation test, monitoring well installation, soil sampling and analysis, process monitoring parameters, sampling and monitoring plan, and data analysis and interpretation.
(S. Huling(GWERD)580-436-8610)

 

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS

Hattan, Greg (KS Dept. of Health and Environ.), Barbara Wilson (Dynamac), and John T. Wilson (GWERD). 2003. "Performance of Conventional Remedial Technology for Treatment of MTBE and Benzene at UST Sites in Kansas." Remediation. Winter 2003., Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 85-94. NRMRL-Ada-03192
(J. Wilson (GWERD)580-436-8534)
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jissue/106577844

Wilkin, Richard T.(GWERD). 2003. "Sulfide Minerals in Sediments." In Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks, Edited by G.V. Middleton. pp. 701-703, Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. NRMRL-Ada-01160
(R. Wilkin (GWERD)580-436-8874)

Smieja, Joanne A. (Gonzaga Univ.) and Richard T. Wilkin (GWERD). 2003. "Preservation of Sulfidic Waters Containing Dissolved As(III)." Journal of Environmental Monitoring, Vol. 5, pp. 913-916. NRMRL-Ada-03181
(R. Wilkin (GWERD)580-436-8874)
http://www.rsc.org/is/journals/j1.htm

 

ONGOING RESEARCH

GWERD researchers Richard Wilkin and Robert Ford carried out X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, IL. Wilkin and Ford's research at the APS supports GWERD projects on inorganic contaminant fate and transport and geochemical processes affecting the long-term performance of Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) for ground-water restoration. Two general-user proposals were recently awarded research time at the APS:

(R. Wilkin (GWERD)580-436-8874)
(R. Ford (GWERD)580-436-8872)

Field Sampling at the U.S. Coast Guard Site. GWERD researchers Cynthia Paul and Mary McNeil conducted a field sampling trip at the U.S. Coast Guard site in Elizabeth City, NC, March 22-25, 2004, in support of the Long Term Performance Monitoring of Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRB) project. The PRB at this site was installed in 1996 and is currently monitored bi-annually.
(C. Paul(GWERD)580-436-8556)

 

MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

David Jewett (GWERD) attended the Great Basin Ecosystem Management (GBEM) project PI planning and stakeholders meetings in Reno, NV, February 29 - March 2, 2004. Attending the GBEM project planing meeting were representatives from the USDA Forest Service and their cooperators. Topics of discussion included administrative issues (budget, /QA/QC, etc.), analysis of data collected during the previous year, and field work scheduling for the coming summer field season. Dr. Jewett also attended the GBEM stakeholders meeting to present results to date and discuss status of various research components. Others present included the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA FS Humboldt-Toyiable National Forest, USGS-BRD, Nevada Biodiversity Initiative, Desert Research Institute, Western Carolina University, Lafayette College, University of Buffalo, and University of Nevada-Reno.

GWERD scientists Elise A. Striz, John T. Wilson, Phil Kaiser and Cherri Adair attended the 20th Annual UST/Lust National Conference, sponsored by the Office of Underground Storage Tanks, February 29 to March 3, 2004, in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Wilson presented a platform and poster presentation entitled "Is your TBA coming from biodegradation of MTBE?", and a platform presentation entitled "Surfactant flush: how well did it work?" Dr. Striz gave an oral, poster and exhibition interactive presentation of the new EPA software, "Optimal Well Locator (OWL): A Screening Tool for Evaluating Locations of Monitoring Wells. " OWL was developed by Elise A. Striz and John T. Wilson (GWERD), Ponniah Srinivasan, CertainTech, Inc., and Daniel Pope, Dynamac, Inc. The OWL program is a simple tool to evaluate existing monitoring well networks and assist in the selection of new monitoring well locations. The program uses ground-water elevation measurements to evaluate variations in ground-water flow magnitude and direction over time and calculate corresponding plume migration paths. A simple analysis combining the potential locations of the plume and the coverage of monitoring wells at a site allows the user to evaluate whether existing monitoring wells are optimally located, and to optimize the placement of new monitoring wells to better characterize plume location and future movement. The program accomplishes these tasks using simple algorithms and typically available field data. The OWL software and user's manual are available for download on the EPA GWERD CSMoS website at http://www.epa/ada/csmos/models.html. Dr. Kaiser made a platform presentation entitled "Source Control by Hydrological Isolation: Application of the Ankeny Moat" as part of a session on new technologies highlighting work done in Oklahoma. Ms. Adair presented a poster entitled "Effect of Ethanol on the Natural Anaerobic Biodegradation of Benzene". This poster discussed the relationship of ethanol and benzene in soil microcosms constructed in the laboratory from five gasoline spill locations. The persistence of benzene in the presence of ethanol was observed in three of the five sites.

David Burden (GWERD) was invited to speak to the National Research Council, Committee on Models in the Regulatory Decision Process, March 18-19, 2004, at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. Dr. Burden gave a presentation entitled "Environmental Decision Making, Principles & Criteria for Models" and served on a Fate and Transport in Ground Water Panel along with Dr. Jim Weaver (EPA/NERL- Athens). His presentation focused on major modeling issues of concern at Superfund and RCRA sites, scientific and technical factors to be considered, and model improvements to adapt to future needs. Following presentations by Dr. Burden and Dr. Weaver, a question and answer session was held.

Susan Mravik (GWERD) attended the ITRC (Interstate Technology Regulatory Council) Spring Membership Meeting and Bioremediation of DNAPLs Team Meeting March 22-23, 2004, in Atlanta, GA.

GWERD researchers Cynthia Paul and Dominic DiGiulio presented current research at the EPA Vapor Intrusion Attenuation Workshop at the 14th Annual West Coast Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water, March 15, 2004, in San Diego, CA. Dr. DiGiulio presented "Development of a Sub- Slab Air Sampling Protocol to Support Assessment of Vapor Intrusion", at the Raymark Superfund Site. Ms. Paul presented "Method and Location of Ground Water Sampling: Impact on Attenuation Factors for Assessing Impact on Vapor Intrusion".

Ann Keeley (GWERD) attended a meeting entitled "BSE Waste Treatment and Disposal: Defining Risk Management Research Needs", in Washington, D.C., March 10-11, 2004 at the EPA-East Offices. The purpose of the meeting was to define and discuss available data on the treatment and disposal of BSE wastes and assess critical data gaps. The meeting included approximately 35 participants with expertise in the management and treatment/disposal of BSE wastes and prions. They represented USEPA, USDA, FDA, CDC, DHS, NIH, treatment and disposal industry, key states, and the UK. The main topics were the scope of the waste problem including: types, volume, and location of wastes, defining relative risk of various types, and treatment/disposal options. Also discussed were product characteristics, impact on prions, associated risks, future use, and data needs.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Richard Wilkin (GWERD) is serving on the editorial board of the journal Chemosphere, an international journal published by Pergamon Press. Dr. Wilkin serves for the Science for Environmental Technology section of the journal that focuses especially on remediation, advanced waste water treatment, incineration, hazardous waste, and green chemistry.

GWERD staff Robert Ford and Richard Wilkin and Scott Fendorf of Stanford University are serving as Guest Editors for a Special Issue of the journal Chemical Geology (Elsevier) that will focus on arsenic transport in subsurface systems. This Special Issue is the outcome of two Arsenic Symposia organized at the Annual Meetings of the Geological Society of America (Robert Ford, Chair) and the Soil Science Society of America (Scott Fendorf, Chair) in November 2003. Acceptance and review of manuscripts for the Special Issue have begun.

 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL/ACTIVITIES

Robert Puls (GWERD) attended the First International Symposium on Permeable Reactive Barriers in Belfast Northern Ireland, March 14-16, 2004. Dr. Puls made two oral presentations at the conference. The first presentation, a Keynote address, was entitled "Long-Term Performance of Permeable Reactive Barriers: Lessons Learned, Future Directions." The second presentation (made for Dr. Rick Wilkin (GWERD)) was entitled "Formation Processes and Consequences of Reactive and Non-Reactive Mineral Precipitates in Permeable Reactive Barriers." He also chaired a session at the Symposium. About 100 people, representing every continent, attended the meeting. Exploratory discussions were initiated with U.K. Environment Agency personnel to establish a MOU to formalize interactions between their Agency and EPA on joint efforts to promote the development and acceptance of PRB technology.

 

SPECIAL EMPHASIS PROGRAM NEWS

In recognition of National Women's History Month 2004, the theme being "Women - Inspiring Hope and Possibility," a mural was displayed in the hallway featuring "Outstanding Women in Math and Science." Among those featured were Ellen Swallow Richards, chemist and ecologist, Judith Resnick, engineer and astronaut, and others from 1842 to the present, with the history of their accomplishments.

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