Geochemical Control of Arsenic, Gross Alpha, and Ra-226/Ra-228 Groundwater Impact at a Coal Combustion Plant
Monday, May 5, 2014: 2:20 p.m.
Curtis (Westin Denver Downtown)
Matthew Gozdor, MS
,
Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Temple Terrace, FL
Michael Lodato, MS, PG
,
Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Temple Terrace, FL
Matthew Wissler, MS, PG
,
Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Clearwater, FL
An electric power utility company conducts routine groundwater sampling at its facility in central gulf coast Florida (“site”) according to the facility’s industrial waste water permit. Results of this sampling have identified select areas of groundwater with elevated concentrations of arsenic (As), radium (Ra-226 and Ra-228), and gross alpha (GA). A Plan of Study (POS) was developed as required by the State to evaluate potential sources and transport mechanisms for these constituents, site geology and hydrogeology, and potential remedial alternatives. The POS included: (i) evaluation of in-well and intra-well geochemical changes between subsequent groundwater monitoring events; (ii) evaluation of major ion chemistry and stable isotope data; (iii) performance of As, GA, and Ra 226/228 seawater leachability tests on site soils and limestone; and (iv) performance of a column soil and bedrock test to evaluate Eh changes on As solubility.
The evaluation indicated that As, Ra-226/228, and GA have been liberated from the soil and native limestone at the site and neither the lined coal pile nor the coal combustion product ash storage/disposal area, nor other sources such as plant industrial wastewater being directed to percolation ponds, is the main source of arsenic within the groundwater monitoring wells. Rather, the constituents of concern are a result of geochemical changes in the shallow groundwater due to anthropogenic activities (e.g., compaction grouting, installation of large liners, presence of storm water features, etc.) and as a result of sea water intrusion in the vicinity of the discharge canal. Overall, the evaluation of geochemical data has allowed us to support and confirm the assertion that site processes did not cause groundwater contamination.
Matthew Gozdor, MS, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Temple Terrace, FL
Matthew Gozdor is a Project Hydrogeologist with Geosyntec Consultants. He received his B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Chemistry from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and his M.S. in Hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Gozdor has conducted and managed site investigations and constructed groundwater flow and contaminant transport models for coal combustion and nuclear power facilities, RCRA sites, Superfund facilities, and a variety of manufacturing and chemical production plants.
Michael Lodato, MS, PG, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Temple Terrace, FL
Michael Lodato has more than 27 years of technical and managerial experience in hydrogeology including the evaluation of industrial wastewater and contamination assessment and remedial design of sites impacted with chlorinated solvents, metals, pesticides, and petroleum products. Additional areas of expertise include hydrogeologic characterization under RCRA and CERCLA, industrial waste water permitting, water resources development and management, geostatistical modeling of contaminant distribution, and sinkhole investigations. Lodato has conducted hydrogeologic and geochemical investigations for numerous clients including power companies, the phosphate mining and processing industry, wood treating and former manufactured gas plants, chemical refineries, and the petroleum industry.
Matthew Wissler, MS, PG, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Clearwater, FL
Matthew Wissler is a senior hydrogeologist with Geosyntec. His professional practice is focused on solid waste facility permitting, groundwater-related landfill compliance, and contaminated site assessment and remediation. Wissler provided management for solid waste greenfield landfill projects with a focus on karst-related assessment techniques and an array of water quality compliance issues. His contaminated site investigation experience has included chlorinated solvents, metals, and radionuclides with studies focusing on groundwater, soil, and soil vapor. He also has extensive applied experience with environmental remediation technologies including air sparge, soil vapor extraction, multi-phase extraction, biostimulation/bioaugmentation, and zero valent iron emulsion.