See more from this Division: Joint Sessions
See more from this Session: A Celebration of Soil Science, Solute Transport, and National-Scale Water-Quality Research: In Honor of Jacob Rubin
Abstract:
The most frequently detected VOCs in ground water were trihalomethanes such as chloroform and solvents such as perchloroethene and trichloroethene. The gasoline oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was also frequently detected. Mixtures were a common mode of occurrence of VOCs in ground water. Public-supply wells had higher occurrence of VOCs compared to domestic-supply wells and also had more frequent occurrence of VOC concentrations that exceed a human-health benchmark. Various sources may be responsible for VOC contamination of ground water but the most likely include point sources such as hazardous waste sites, leaking storage tanks, and septic systems as well as non-point-source influences from urban development. Properties of the unsaturated zone and aquifer redox conditions also affect the concentrations of VOCs in ground water.
The findings indicate that aquifers may be more vulnerable to VOCs than anticipated and ground-water managers may need to consider proactive measures to protect ground water for future use. Findings from the NAWQA Program also aid in developing appropriate risk-assessment and exposure studies for VOCs in ground water and alert government agencies of the need to screen high-production volume chemicals for their environmental and toxic properties prior to widespread use.
See more from this Division: Joint Sessions
See more from this Session: A Celebration of Soil Science, Solute Transport, and National-Scale Water-Quality Research: In Honor of Jacob Rubin