Monday, April 20, 2009
Nitrate released from a uranium mine tailings stockpile has contaminated groundwater near Monument Valley, Arizona. The results of previous studies suggest that nitrate attenuation is occurring at the site, but the feasibility of using natural attenuation as a remediation strategy remains uncertain. This investigation characterized the occurrence and rate of natural attenuation at the site using several methods. Spatial and temporal nitrate concentration data collected from a transect of monitoring wells located along the plume centerline were analyzed to evaluate the overall rates of natural attenuation. The occurrence and rate of denitrification was evaluated through microcosm experiments, nitrogen isotopic fractionation analysis, and solute transport modeling. First-order rate coefficients calculated for each method were comparable. The composite natural attenuation rate coefficient was larger than the denitrification rate coefficient, which suggests that a combination of biological decay and dispersion/diffusion processes control nitrate attenuation at the site. Model simulations were conducted to estimate the time required for nitrate concentrations in the plume to decrease to 10 mg/L under existing conditions, which was approximately 150 years. Additional simulations were conducted to assess the potential reduction in cleanup time that would result from implementing enhanced denitrification via either methanol or ethanol injection. The results indicated that cleanup would be attained in approximately one-third of the time estimated for natural attenuation.