Integrating Borehole-, Outcrop-, and Map-Scale Data to Construct a 3-D Model for PFOA Transport in Bennington, VT
Tuesday, September 24, 2019: 8:50 a.m.
Jonathan Kim
,
Vermont Geological Survey, Vermont Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT
Edwin A. Romanowicz, Ph.D.
,
Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, NY
Peter Ryan, Ph.D.
,
Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
Timothy Schroeder, Ph.D.
,
Natural Sciences, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
David Boutt, Ph.D.
,
Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, MA
Marcel Belaval
,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1, Boston, MA
The fate and transport of PFOA is complex and involves emission as a waste product into the air, transport by wind, deposition on the ground surface, and downward eluviation through the vadose zone to the saturated zone and the fractured rock aquifer (FRA). In order to characterize the FRA in 3-D, we integrated data sets from borehole- to outcrop- to map-scale to construct a conceptual model for the contamination area.
Using acoustical borehole imaging, the orientations of structures in bedrock wells were determined. In addition, structures were identified as bedding, foliations, or fractures through borehole camera surveys and direct comparison with structures at nearby outcrops, including field measurements. By integrating borehole structural data with 1) temperature, conductivity, gamma, caliper, and heat-pulse flowmeter logs, 2) detailed structural data from outcrops, 3) the spatial analysis of well driller reports, and 4) bedrock geologic maps, the 3-D architecture of the FRA was constructed.
Significant findings are: A) Borehole structures strongly correlate with those at all scales and strongly influence the regional hydrogeology, B) One thrust fault is a barrier and the other is a conduit for groundwater flow, C) Steeply-dipping fracture zones bring up PFOA-free groundwater in areas surrounded by high-PFOA wells.
Jonathan Kim, Vermont Geological Survey, Vermont Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT
Geologist at the Vermont Geological Survey from 1997 - present. Most of my work involves the multi-disciplinary characterization of fractured bedrock aquifers in Vermont. I focus on bedrock geologic mapping, structural geology, and geochemistry. I am also certified as a Professional Geologist (PG).
Edwin A. Romanowicz, Ph.D., Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, NY
Associate Professor, Center for Earth and Environmental Science, Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, 518-564-2152, FAX 518-564-5267, romanoea@plattsburgh.edu, Assistant professor at Plattsburgh State University since fall 1999. Asst. Research Professor at Duke University, 1995-1999, Visiting Asst. Professor at Colby College, 1994-1995
Peter Ryan, Ph.D., Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
Peter Ryan teaches in the Geology Department and Environmental Studies Program at Middlebury College. Research interests include the geochemical and mineralogical analysis of bedrock-derived arsenic and uranium in Vermont ground water (and associated research on trace element speciation in minerals), and the other is the mineralogy and geochemistry of soils developed on terraces along the tectonically active Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Timothy Schroeder, Ph.D., Natural Sciences, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
Professor at Bennington College.
David Boutt, Ph.D., Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, MA
David Boutt is an assistant professor of Hydrogeology in the Department of Geosciences of University of Massachusetts Amherst. His education includes an M.S. in Geology from Michigan State University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Hydrology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 2004. His research interests include coupling between fluid flow and deformation in geologic materials, linkages between micromechanical properties of porous and fractured media and macro-scale properties, and modeling of coupled processes in geologic materials
Marcel Belaval, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1, Boston, MA
Marcel Belaval is a Hydrologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New England Regional Office where he provides technical support for groundwater issues including contamination, protection, and supply issues. He has an M.S. in Geophysics from Boston College and a B.S. in Geology from the University of Connecticut.
