Field Demonstration and Validation of a New Device for Measuring Water and Solute Fluxes

摘要

The Department of Defense (DoD) has a critical need for technologies that provide cost-effective long-term monitoring of volatile organic chemicals, petroleum and related compounds, trace metals, and explosives. In recent years, the utility of contaminant flux and contaminant mass discharge as robust metrics for assessing site risks and site remediation performance has gained increasing acceptance within scientific, regulatory, and end-user communities. The passive flux meter (PFM) is a new technology that measures subsurface water and contaminant flux directly. This technology addresses the DoD need for cost- effective, long-term monitoring because flux measurements can be used for process control, remedial action performance assessments, and compliance monitoring. Under the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Project No. ER- 0114, the PFM was demonstrated and validated as an innovative flux monitoring technology at several locations, including the National Air and Space Administration s (NASA) Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) in Cape Canaveral, Florida; the Canadian Forces Base in Ontario, Canada (Borden); the Naval Construction Base in Port Hueneme, California; and the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, Maryland. Projects at NASA, Borden, and Port Hueneme included objectives of evaluating the flux meter as a technology for direct in situ measurement of cumulative water discharge and contaminant flux under controlled flow and under natural gradient conditions. Tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride, ethylene, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) were the contaminants studied. At the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, Maryland, the PFM was demonstrated and validated as a technology for measuring water and perchlorate fluxes. Data and results from all sites were compiled and interpreted to expedite regulatory and end-user acceptance and to stimulate commercialization.