Geochemical and Microbiological Processes that Affect Migration and Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rock -- Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, NJ

USGS hosted scientists from EPA HQ, Regions 1-4 and from State environmental agencies from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland on 25 September 2008 for a one-day workshop at the USGS NJ Water Science Center. More information is available here.

The project hosted a "Workshop on Fate, Transport, and Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rocks at the Former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey" on Wednesday, 26 September 2007, at the 2007 NGWA/U.S. EPA Fractured Rock Conference -- State of the Science and Measuring Success in Remediation, in Portland, Maine. View the Workshop Flyer (pdf) or see more details on this and other USGS research at the conference.

The project hosted a Field Trip "Geologic, Hydrogeologic, and Biogeochemical Controls on Natural and Enhanced Degradation of Industrial Solvents in Fractured Rocks" on Thursday, 26 October 2006, at the 2006 National Meeting of the Geological Society of America, in Philadelphia. More details are available at our Field Trip page.

In 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of contamination in fractured sedimentary bedrock in cooperation with the U.S. Navy at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, N.J.

In 2001, the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program initiated research at the NAWC to complement and expand the research being conducted on ground-water flow and contaminant transport in fractured bedrock at its Mirror Lake, New Hampshire Research Site. The NAWC site was chosen because the general hydrogeologic framework was well defined and the site contained extensive contamination over a range of geochemical conditions. Site ground water contains volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that include TCE, DCE and vinyl chloride.

The research will provide understanding of the physical, chemical, and microbial processes that affect the transport and fate of chlorinated solvents in fractured sedimentary rock aquifers, including the role of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) as a long-term source. The research also will develop methods for cost effective subsurface characterization.

Research at the site is a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort that presently involves scientists from the USGS, U.S. Navy, and other research institutions.