Subsurface Reactive Barrier
Type |
- Testing of Remediation Technologies
- Performance Monitoring
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Location |
Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, MA |
Partners |
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Technology |
Permeable Reactive Barrier |
Contaminants |
Chlorinated Solvents -- primarily
perchloroethylene (PCE) |
Description |
An innovative remediation system--a permeable, reactive barrier--was
installed on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), Cape
Cod, MA. This pilot study was a joint effort between the Air Force
Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), the University of Waterloo,
the National Guard Bureau, and the USGS. The reactive barrier consisted
of a subsurface wall of permeable zero-valent iron. The barrier
was installed in the path of the MMR's Chemical Spill-10 plume to
remediate chlorinated solvents leaching from the plume's source
area. USGS scientists monitored geochemical changes that occurred
in the aquifer downgradient of the permeable zero-valent iron wall
and used geophysical techniques to document the integrity of the
wall. Water-quality data indicate that a reducing (no oxygen) environment
developed and persisted at least 60 ft downgradient from the iron
wall. Results of geophysical tests (cross-hole radar tomography)
of the iron wall documented the location and the integrity of the
barrier. The scientists were particularly interested in detecting
any holes or windows in the subsurface permeable iron wall. The
geophysical tests documented the thickness of the wall and showed
that there were no holes present in the wall. AFCEE and environmental
managers for the MMR used the results of this study to evaluate
the effectiveness of permeable reactive barriers for remediating
similar plumes on MMR and other military bases.
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More Information |
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Contact |
Denis LeBlanc, USGS, Massachusetts District, Northborough,
MA, |
Publications |
- Granato, G.E., and Smith, K.P., 1999,
- Robowell--A
reliable and accurate automated data-collection process applied
to reactive-wall monitoring at the Massachusetts Military Reservation,
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton,
H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology
Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South
Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 of 3--Subsurface Contamination
from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations
Report 99-4018C, p. 447-455.
- Hubble, D.W., and Gillham, R.W., 1999,
- Installation
of deep reactive walls at MMR using a granular iron-guar slurry,
in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological
Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the
Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume
3 of 3--Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological
Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 431-438.
- Joesten, P.K., Lane, J.W., Jr., Savoie, J.G., and Versteeg,
R.J., 2001,
- Application
of borehole-radar methods to image two permeable reactive-iron
walls at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts,
in Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and
Environmental Problems, Denver, Colorado, March 4-7, 2001:
Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical
Society, p. CD-ROM.
- Lane, J.W. Jr., Joesten, P.K., and Savoie, J.G., 2001,
- Cross-hole
radar scanning of two vertical, permeable, reactive-iron walls
at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts:
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigation Report 00-4145,
17 p.
- Lane, J.W., Jr., Joesten, P.K., and Savoie, J.G., 1999,
- Monitoring
a permeable reactive iron wall installation in unconsolidated
sediments by using a cross-hole radar method, in Morganwalp,
D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances
Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston,
South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 of 3--Subsurface Contamination
from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations
Report 99-4018C, p. 439-445.
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Links |
Other USGS Permeable Reactive Barrier Projects
Other Toxics Program In-Situ Chemical Oxidation Projects
Other Toxics Remediation Studies on Cape Cod
Information on Ground-Water Contamination on Cape Cod
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Back to Toxics Program Remediation Activities Index
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