Groundwater Pollution Research Reviews
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Groundwater Pollution Research Reviews A Briffett, L Houlden, S Kirk, A McMahon, P Miles, R Stephenson, E Walker Research Contractor: Geraghty & Miller International, Inc. Environment Agency Rivers House Waterside Drive Aztec West Bristol BS12 4UD R&D Technical Report P2 Publishing Organisation Environment Agency Rivers House Waterside Drive Aztec West Bristol BS12 4UD - Tel: 01454 624400 Fax: 0 1454 624409 @Environment Agency 1996 MD- 10/97/50/B-AZUR All rights reserved. No part of this document may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by means of electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the Environment Agency. The views expressed in this document are not necessarily those of the Environment Agency. Its officers, servants or agents accept no liability whatsoever for any Loss or damage arising from the interpretation or use of this information, or reliance upon views contained herein. Dissemination Status Internal: Released to Regions External: Released to Public Domain Statement of Use This document provides a series of reviews of areas of current research in Groundwater Pollution. Its primary purpose is to provide an introduction to the Technical Literature for the benefit of Agency staff, who do not have a specialist background in hydrogeology. Research Contractor This project was produced under R&D Project i623 by: Geraghty & Miller International, Inc Conqueror House Vision Park Histon CAMBRIDGE CB4 4ZR Tel: 01223 236950 Fax: 0 1223 236242 Environment Agency’s Project Manager The Environment Agency Managers for R&D Project i623 were: Dr Bogus Zaba & Richard Boak CONTENTS Key Words ................................................................................................................... i Glossary ................................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Objectives ....................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Overall Objectives .............................................................................. 1 1.1.2 Specific Objectives.. ........................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope of this Report ................................................................................... 1 1.3 Background ................................................................................................ 1 1.4 Approach ................................................................................................... 1 1.5 Organisation of this Report.. ...................................................................... .2 2. Groundwater Pollution Issues ............................................................................. 3 2.1 Acidification ............................................................................................... 3 2.2 Acid Mine Drainage ................................................................................... 7 2.3 Contaminated Land .................................................................................... 13 2.4 Heavy Metals ............................................................................................. 19 2.5 Landfill ....................................................................................................... 23 2.6 Microbiological Contaminants .................................................................... 3 1 2.7 Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids ....................................................................... 33 2.7.1 Organic Solvents ................................................................................ 33 2.7.2 Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Additives ............................................ .39 2.7.3 Future Research Topics .................................................................... .43 2.8 Pesticides ................................................................................................... 45 2.9 Radioactive Waste Disposal ........................................................................ 51 2.10 Radionuclides ............................................................................................ .55 2.11 Remediation .............................................................................................. .59 2.12 Sewers, Soakaways and Septic Tanks.. ...................................................... .65 2.13 Source Protection.. .................................................................................... .69 2.14 Vulnerability .............................................................................................. .73 List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 77 Index by Contaminant .................................................................................................... 79 Index by Author .............................................................................................................. 81 Index by Research/Funding Organisation ...................................................................... 85 Appendix A: Individuals / Organisations Contacted This page is left intentionally blank KEY WORDS Aquifer, attenuation, biodegradation, bioremediation, contaminated land, contamination, groundwater, groundwater pollution, intrinsic bioremediation, landfill, landfill leachate, pollution, radioactive waste, radionuclides, remediation, source protection, vulnerability GLOSSARY Absorption Process by which solute diffuses into porous aquifer particles to be sorbed onto interior surfaces. Acidification Acidic deposition from the atmosphere. Adsorption Process by which a thin layer of a substance accumulates on the surface of a solid. Aliphatic Of or pertaining to a broad range of organic carbon compounds characterised by straight or branched open-chain arrangement of the constituent carbon atoms. The carbon-carbon bonds may be saturated or unsaturated. Aromatic Of or pertaining to organic chemicals that resemble benzene in chemical behaviour. Attenuation Any process which reduces the concentration of contaminants in sub-surface soil and groundwater environments. Bioaccumulate Process by which contaminants build up in the food chain. Bioaugmentation Strictly, the introduction of non-indigenous micro-organisms for bioremediation or for enhancement of bioremediation with indigenous micro-organisms. The term could also include the use of enrichment micro-organism cultures derived from the local environment. Biodegradation A process by which micro-organisms transform or alter by enzymatic action the structure of chemicals into the environment. Bioremediation Remediation process which involves the use of micro-organisms to convert contaminants to less harmful species. Biotic Of or pertaining to life and living organisms. Containment The use of physical or hydrodynamic barriers to prevent the spread (hydraulic) of contaminants through the groundwater. Contamination Artificially induced degradation of natural groundwater quality. Diffuse source Pollution from widespread activities with no one discrete source. pollution Directive A type of legislation issued by the European Community which is binding on member states in terms of the results to be achieved. Drift deposits Term used to include all unconsolidated superficial deposits overlying solid rock. - Fractures/fissures Natural cracks in rocks that enhance rapid water movement. Hazard A situation or object with potential to cause harm. Hydrocarbon A large group of chemical compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen. Derived from petroleum crude oil or coal, natural gas, and other natural and anthropogenic sources. Intrinsic The use of natural destructive biodegradation processes to reduce bioremediation the mass, mobility and associated risks of contaminants in soil and groundwater. Intrinsic remediation The use of combined effect of natural destructive and non- destructive processes to reduce the mass, mobility and associated risks of contaminants in soil and groundwater. Non-destructive processes include dilution, volatilisation and sorption. Destructive processes include aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation and chemical transformation reactions such as precipitation and hydrolysis. Landfill Site used for waste disposal into/onto land. Leachate The liquid that has percolated through solid waste or contaminated soil and dissolved soluble components. Natural See Intrinsic Bioremediation. bioremediation Outcrop Where geological rock strata are at the surface, even though they may be obscured by soil or drift cover. Permeability Measure of the ability of a medium to transmit water. Point source pollution Pollution from a discrete source e.g. petrol station, septic tank, landfill. Pollution When the degree of contamination, with respect to a certain substance, reaches a point beyond which the groundwater becomes unsuitable for a given purpose (e.g. as drinking water). Porosity Ratio of void space to the total volume of the rock. Recharge Water which percolates downward from the surface into groundwater. III Refractory A non-spectic characteristic of some chemicaIs implying resistance to biodegradation or other degradation or treatment process. Remediation Restoration of soil and/or groundwater quality sufficient to permit required use. Residual saturation Saturation