It was the Glove that Did It Unusual Sources of Groundwater Contamination

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It was the Glove that Did ItUnusual Sources of
Groundwater Contamination

• June 27, 2005
• Anastasia Welch, P.E.

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• What If

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Sources of Groundwater Contamination

• Landfill leachate
• Landfill gas to groundwater
• Laboratory or transport
• On site (non-landfill) sources
• Off site sources
• Sampling and handling activities

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Landfill Leachate

• All landfill liners will leak at some time
• Leaking leachate travels to groundwater
• Typically characterized by VOCs

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Landfill Gas to Groundwater

• Within Aquifer
• Within Monitoring Well

Landfill Gas
VOCs
Groundwater
Landfill Gas Enters Well
Groundwater
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Laboratory or Transport

• Laboratory contamination
• Methylene chloride, acetone
• Cross-sample
• Equipment
• Transport contamination
• Next to contaminant source
• Bad cooler

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On Site Sources (Not LF)

• Storage tanks
• Stockpiles (salt)
• Surface water
• Leaking force mains
• Poor well construction (grouting or screened
  interval)
• Contaminated well materials

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Off Site Sources

• Upgradient irrigation wells poor construction
• Agricultural activities herbicides, pesticides,
  nitrogen
• Industrial activities

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Sampling and Handling

• Most common because so much contact with samples
  hands on
• Many different types of contamination
• Anything can contaminate ppb range

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Was it the Glove?

• Case History
• June 2003
• Carbon disulfide (CS2) detected in upgradient and
  downgradient monitoring wells
• MEK and acetone detections in FB and TB
• Detections consistent, but low (6 50 ug/L)
• No likely non-landfill or upgradient source

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Was it the Glove?

• Proving it
• Resampling event September 2003
• Field activities observed by the book
• Confirmed CS2 in 2 of 4 GW samples
• Second verification completed October 2003
• Equipment blank (EB) prepared with piece of latex
  glove and GW
• CS2 confirmed in 2 of 2 GW samples
• Higher CS2 levels in EB (690 ug/L)

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Was it the Glove?

• Third Verification, October 2003
• Sampler wearing nitrile gloves
• Equipment blank prepared with de-ionized water
  and piece of latex glove
• ND in groundwater sample
• CS2 and MEK detected in equipment blank
• CS2 at 1,240 ug/L
• MEK at 54 ug/L related to blanks?
• State lab performed independent testing
  verified results

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Was it the Glove?

• I Guess So
• Facility avoided assessment monitoring
• SAP revised to specify nitrile gloves only
• No CS2 detections since glove change
• Still some random acetone and MEK

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What Was It?

• Decontamination water in plastic?
• Sampler using antibacterial hand gel?
• Bailer rope?
• Running truck?
• Field sprays?
• Nasty bucket?
• Sampling order?

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A Common Sense Approach

• What is different about this well?
• What has changed?
• Have we explored all of the options?
• Is there anything that has contact with our
  samples?
• If we were in a different field, what would we
  do?

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In Conclusion

• Confirm, confirm, confirm!
• Justify why it isnt the landfill
• Work with your regulator be up front

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• Thank You!!
• Questions??

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