Nitrate concentration and its natural attenuation process in the groundwater; the case study at the Miyakonojo Basin

Abstract Natural Attenuation (NA) in the case of groundwater contaminated with organic compounds relies mainly on intrinsic biodegradation processes. The aim of reliance on natural processes is to achieve site-specific cleanup objectives within reasonable time frames and costs. Such approach may be considered as a risk reduction/remedial option for groundwater contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE). This case study presents implementation of the US EPA’s guideline „Technical protocol for evaluating natural attenuation of chlorinated solvents in groundwater” to asses intrinsic biodegradation potentials in TCE and PCE contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of Nowa Deba waterworks (south-east Poland). Literature and field data collected from wells and piezometers were used to develop a conceptual model of contaminants’ fate and transport from a source to a receptor. The intrinsic biodegradation was investigated basing on available analytical parameters (eg concentrations of oxygen, nitrates, chlorides, and pH, TOC and temperature) that are considered as indicators of TCE and PCE transformation. Preliminary screening was done by giving certain points for these parameters, and interpreted in order to asses intrinsic biodegradation potentials. The results indicate inadequate evidence for intrinsic biodegradation (reductive dehalogention) of TCE and PCE, thus a limited potential for NA as a remedial/risk reduction option in the studied case, unless some measures for enhancement of TCE and PCE intrinsic biodegradation are applied.

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Assessment and Estimating Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution Using a Modified DRASTIC and GODS Models (Case Study: Malayer Plain of Iran)

Civil Engineering Journal ◽

10.28991/cej-0309103 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 433 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Maryam Hosseini ◽

Ali Saremi

Keyword(s):

Nitrate Concentration ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Drastic Model ◽

Drastic Index ◽

Parameters Uncertainty ◽

Modified Drastic ◽

Hamedan Province ◽

Very High ◽

Better Than

This study deals with the intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater reservoirs to pollution, by the use of two models DRASTIC and GODS, this study is done by taking samples from 17 water resources of Malayer plain Aquifer area of southern Hamedan Province, Iran. 30 physicochemical parameters and heavy metals have been studied and vulnerability of this aquifer to the nitrate concentration, was determined. The study showed that results from DRASTIC were better than GODS in Assessment and Estimating groundwater vulnerability to pollution, also DRASTIC model has been corrected, and compared the ability of these two models in vulnerability zoning has been evaluated. According to high correlation between DRASTIC index and nitrate concentration, ranking and weighting of nitrate pollutant is inserted in the DRASTIC equation, and zoning map of DRASTIC method has been calibrated by nitrate concentration. By this method, vulnerability zoning is determined between very low to very high, which shows the increase of DRASTIC index by nitrate concentration. DRASTIC parameters uncertainty has affected the zoning results in this method, but its calibration with nitrate concentration, gives more accurate vulnerability results.

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