Bioremediation in Fractured Rock: 1. Modeling to Inform Design, Monitoring, and Expectations
Corresponding Author
Claire R. Tiedeman
Corresponding author: U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025; 650-329-4583; fax: 650-329-4463; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAllen M. Shapiro
U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Mail Stop 431, Reston, VA 20192
Search for more papers by this authorPaul A. Hsieh
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Search for more papers by this authorThomas E. Imbrigiotta
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorDaniel J. Goode
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorPierre J. Lacombe
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorMary F. DeFlaun
Geosyntec Consultants, 7 Graphics Drive, Suite 106, Ewing Township, NJ 08628
Search for more papers by this authorScott R. Drew
Geosyntec Consultants, 7 Graphics Drive, Suite 106, Ewing Township, NJ 08628
Search for more papers by this authorCarole D. Johnson
U.S. Geological Survey, 11 Sherman Place, Unit 5015, Storrs, CT 06269
Search for more papers by this authorJohn H. Williams
U.S. Geological Survey, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180
Search for more papers by this authorGary P. Curtis
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Claire R. Tiedeman
Corresponding author: U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025; 650-329-4583; fax: 650-329-4463; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAllen M. Shapiro
U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Mail Stop 431, Reston, VA 20192
Search for more papers by this authorPaul A. Hsieh
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Search for more papers by this authorThomas E. Imbrigiotta
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorDaniel J. Goode
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorPierre J. Lacombe
U.S. Geological Survey, 3450 Princeton Pike, Suite 110, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Search for more papers by this authorMary F. DeFlaun
Geosyntec Consultants, 7 Graphics Drive, Suite 106, Ewing Township, NJ 08628
Search for more papers by this authorScott R. Drew
Geosyntec Consultants, 7 Graphics Drive, Suite 106, Ewing Township, NJ 08628
Search for more papers by this authorCarole D. Johnson
U.S. Geological Survey, 11 Sherman Place, Unit 5015, Storrs, CT 06269
Search for more papers by this authorJohn H. Williams
U.S. Geological Survey, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180
Search for more papers by this authorGary P. Curtis
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop 496, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Field characterization of a trichloroethene (TCE) source area in fractured mudstones produced a detailed understanding of the geology, contaminant distribution in fractures and the rock matrix, and hydraulic and transport properties. Groundwater flow and chemical transport modeling that synthesized the field characterization information proved critical for designing bioremediation of the source area. The planned bioremediation involved injecting emulsified vegetable oil and bacteria to enhance the naturally occurring biodegradation of TCE. The flow and transport modeling showed that injection will spread amendments widely over a zone of lower-permeability fractures, with long residence times expected because of small velocities after injection and sorption of emulsified vegetable oil onto solids. Amendments transported out of this zone will be diluted by groundwater flux from other areas, limiting bioremediation effectiveness downgradient. At nearby pumping wells, further dilution is expected to make bioremediation effects undetectable in the pumped water. The results emphasize that in fracture-dominated flow regimes, the extent of injected amendments cannot be conceptualized using simple homogeneous models of groundwater flow commonly adopted to design injections in unconsolidated porous media (e.g., radial diverging or dipole flow regimes). Instead, it is important to synthesize site characterization information using a groundwater flow model that includes discrete features representing high- and low-permeability fractures. This type of model accounts for the highly heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity and groundwater fluxes in fractured-rock aquifers, and facilitates designing injection strategies that target specific volumes of the aquifer and maximize the distribution of amendments over these volumes.
Supporting Information
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gwat12585-sup-0001-supInfo.pdfPDF document, 455.3 KB |
Appendix S1. Geophysics. Includes Figure S1. Geophysical logs for boreholes 71BR and 73BR in the West Area source zone. Appendix S2. March 2008 Aquifer Tests. Includes Figure S2. Water-level rises at monitoring intervals during an aquifer test in 15BR. Appendix S3. Bromide tracer test. Appendix S4. Modeling. Includes Figure S3. Areal domains of flow and transport models. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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