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Case Study

Tier One Chemicals Company

Site assessment of operating industrial plant.

 

 

Overview

An industrial plant in Magnolia, Argentina, produced several sources of subsurface contamination posing environmental and community risks. The plant owner contracted with COLUMBIA to deliver a thorough high-resolution site characterization The primary objective was to gather the necessary information to clearly identify sources of contamination, analyze contaminant migration strategies, and recommend to management a strategy for the soil and groundwater remediation.

The Challenge

An operating industrial facility was potentially generating multiple sources of subsurface contamination, including several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bromide. The lateral and vertical changes in the soil stratigraphy and hydraulic conductivity of the deposits underlying the site, combined with possibly several different source areas, resulted in potentially complex three-dimensional VOC and bromide plumes.

  • Hydrogeology: The land under the site is contains a minimum of 30 feet of unconsolidated deposits of clay, silt, and sand derived from on-site weathering of the Cockfield Formation.  The facility is located on a high geologic point, adding to the complexity of groundwater flow, direction, and contaminant migration.
  • Chemicals of Concern: The VOCs were 1,2-dibromomethane (EDB), 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), 1-bromo-2-chloroethane (BCE), and 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) and bromide.   The VOCs were expected to be present at concentrations ranging from phase-separated source levels (NAPL) to low levels of detection in groundwater.

Our Services

  • Assessment & Planning Services
  • High-Resolution Site Characterization
  • Remediation Alternatives Analysis
  • Stakeholder Support

Our Work

The project team was developed using a multiple-lines-of-evidence approach in collaboration with the lead environmental consulting firm, CH2M Hill. COLUMBIA Technologies added ConeTec USA to its team to provide direct push capability, soil sampling, and cone penetrometer data as a second line of evidence. ECCS of Madison, WI, provided an on-site mobile laboratory to confirm contaminant concentrations in soil and groundwater.

Leverage Existing Information

  • We reviewed the site’s existing groundwater, soil, and infrastructure data to guide the next assessment phase.
  • We developed an initial computer-based Conceptual Site Model (CSM) from the existing monitoring well, groundwater, soil, remedial system construction, geology, water level, and historical infrastructure information. This included an elevation-corrected 3D model to evaluate the vertical relationship of the site infrastructure and data.

Use of Interactive High-Resolution Tools to Meet Project Objectives

Performance Testing: On behalf of CH2M Hill, COLUMBIA bench-tested the performance of Membrane Interface Probe  (MIP) sensors when detecting the VOCs of concern on the Site.   Our  testing determined that EDB and 1,2-DCA at concentrations indicative of source area or high dissolved phase are good candidates for detection using the MIP halogen-specific (XSD) and flame ionization (FID) detectors.  DBCP was not a good candidate for detection by the MIP and a sample of BCE could not be obtained for performance testing.
We used a Hydraulic Profile Tool (HPT) to identify groundwater transport zones and any perched water conditions. We used the HPT and MIP tools to select soil sampling depths and screen intervals for groundwater samples.  The bromide was expected to be at concentrations high enough to produce a plume that soil electrical conductivity measurements could track.

Our Technical Approach

  • We deployed the combined MIP-HPT and CPT tooling adjacent to an installed monitoring/remediation system to evaluate the system response and establish the contaminant signature as a reference for the investigation.
  • We also used MIP-HPT and CPT soundings to address determine the mass/extent of VOC and bromide impact and to guide additional collaborative soil and groundwater sampling for onsite chemical analysis. 80 MIP-HPT soundings were advanced to a depth of approximately 40 feet (bgs).  More than 2,400 feet of MIP and CPT sensing equipment was deployed.
  • Soil and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed by the onsite laboratory.
  • We used COLUMBIA’s GIS-based SmartData application to enable the CH2M project team and others to collaboratively analyze the MIP-HPT data set in real-time during fieldwork. Using SmartData, we were also able to ensure the project objectives were met before standing down from our work onsite.

Results

We mapped the VOC distribution and the lateral and vertical changes in the hydraulic conductivity that control the VOC storage and migration beneath the site. This information is key to the future success of the site’s remediation programs and subsequent regulatory closure. We mapped the bromide plume based on data from our HPT sensors a careful review of lithologic data collected during the sampling performed for the mobile laboratory.

We also performed a collaborative real-time analysis of the multiple lines of data collected by the MIP-HPT and CPT, depth interval and lithologic data from samples collected for the mobile laboratory analysis, and the mobile laboratory analytical results.  The detailed understanding of the VOC and bromide contamination, effective recovery techniques, and comprehensive risk reduction measures provided a clear path to restoring the site’s environmental quality and enhancing its value.  These results demonstrate the tangible benefits and return on investment (ROI) achieved through the high-resolution assessment and the subsequent remedial actions.

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