Western
Geo-EngineersWestern
Geo-EngineersWith the current emphasis on natural attenuation, it is now more important to get a complete picture of the extent and nature of the contamination at the site. The major agent of natural attenuation is bio-degradation, which is facilitated by native bacteria. The activity of these bacteria is controlled by not only the concentration of contaminants but also by the presence of electron acceptors that either allow or restrict the bacteria to oxidize or reduce the contaminants. During Rapid Site Characterization, we use the Soil Probe Survey (SPSTM) to obtain data that will delineate and/or define the shape and extent of the contaminant plume and of other compounds of interest including electron acceptors.
The initial SPSTM data, which provides the shape and concentration pattern of the contaminant plume, also provides the information, which allows us to perform a Tier 1 RBCA Screening of the site.
If the Tier 1 screening indicates that further remediation or study is needed at the site, the soil probe data is then used to select the locations of either temporary or permanent monitor wells. The wells allow for the collection of further chemical and hydraulic groundwater parameters, which are needed for RBCA Tier 2 modeling.
If the Tier 2 screening indicates that further study or remediation is needed, the data is examined to determine if it would be practical to perform a RBCA Tier 3 evaluation with computer modeling of the fate and transport of the contaminant. If a Tier 3 evaluation would not be useful or the site fails the evaluation, then the site is a candidate for Active Remediation .