Optimizing the Remedial Process at a Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Site Using a Three-Tier Approach
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 11
Abstract
Pump and treat (P&T) system is widely used to remove contaminants in groundwater and maintain hydraulic capture of contaminants. A P&T system usually becomes costly in removing contaminant mass after operation for a period of time because the cost of pumping stays high while concentration of contaminants in extracted groundwater decreases significantly over time. However, the P&T system may have to continue operation before contaminants in groundwater reach the cleanup goals. In such cases, the optimization of the existing remedial system and an exit strategy will be necessary and beneficial to all stakeholders. This study examined a P&T system at a remediation site near a coastal wetland. We developed a three-tier approach to optimize the existing remedial system. The remedial process optimization (RPO) was achieved by reducing pump wells and monitoring frequency and developing an exit strategy. In the first tier, we used descriptive trend plot, trend factor analysis, and autocorrelation analysis to capture the temporal trend in the monitoring data and determine optimum sampling frequency; in the second tier, we used multivariate analysis include principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square regression (PLSR) to identify the spatial and temporal pattern in the monitoring data, and to construct a statistical model to predict future contaminant levels; in the third tier, we used MODFLOW, a USGS developed finite-difference flow module for aquifer simulation, and interpretation of the hydraulic capture of extraction wells and contaminant migration. Based on the tiered analysis, we designed an improved groundwater monitoring program and pumping strategy. The RPO is expected to save 68% groundwater monitoring cost, and 30% P&T operation and maintenance (O&M) cost.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank the four anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that have improved the quality of the paper. The writers also express their thanks to Dr. Jian Luo of Georgia Institute of Technology for his advice in groundwater modeling, and Ms. Amy Gignac, Mr. Andrew Crisp, Mr. Steve Rossello, and Mr. Robert Gray for their support when conducting work at the project site.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 11 • November 2009
Pages: 1171 - 1180
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 8, 2008
Accepted: Mar 19, 2009
Published online: Mar 21, 2009
Published in print: Nov 2009
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