Groundwater-protected areas

People - Local inhabitants. Workers and Visitors to the site Farm animals Livestock Ecosystems and waterbodies -Rivers, Estuaries and Groundwater. Protected areas - National Parks, National Heritage Areas (NHAs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs),... 

To determine the concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes, approved methods (e.g., EPA SW-846 8021B, SW-846 8260) are not only recommended but are insisted upon for regulatory issues. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may be present in condensate, and evaluation of condensate contamination should include the use of other test methods (EPA SW-846 8270, SW-846 8310) provided that the detection limits are adequate to the task of soil and groundwater protection. Generally, at least one analysis may be required for the most contaminated sample location from each source area. Condensate releases in nonsensitive areas require analysis for naphthalene only. The analysts should ensure that the method has detection limits that are appropriate for risk determinations. 

To determine concentrations of PAHs in environmental media, approved methods (EPA SW-846 8270, SW-846 8310) are necessary provided that the detection limits are adequate for soil and groundwater protection. Generally, regulatory agencies will require at least one PAH analysis from the most contaminated sample from each source area, and the analysts must ensure that lab detection limits are appropriate for risk determination. 

The selection of sites to monitor should be carefully considered by taking into account the characteristics of the pressures actually, or potentially, impacting on the groundwater body and the receptors at risk. Where specific receptors such as ecosystems are at risk, additional monitoring may be needed. In the case of drinking water abstractions in drinking water protected areas, monitoring will also need to include representative potable abstraction points to demonstrate compliance with the protected area objectives. 

Theory of subsidence and strata movement includes overburden deformation and failure types due to coal mining and mechanism of soil layer and rock deformation, coupled action between rock and groundwater. Application areas are safety protective coal pillars under railway, water bodies, aquifers, buildings, near faults and stability of rock mass above mined-out area. 

Alternative 2 achieves protection by preventing exposure through capping and natural attenuation of the contaminated groundwater. Alternative 3 combines treatment to reduce the risk from the TCE-contaminated soil and groundwater and capping of the lead area. Alternatives 4 and 5 reduce risks posed by all portions of the site through treatment. 

There is some uncertainty about the potential presence of metal in the TCE-contaminated soil of Area 2. If metal concentrations of concern are present, only Alternatives 2 and 5 would protect against direct contact and further groundwater contamination through a cap and incineration, respectively. Incineration of metal-contaminated soil may result in a hazardous waste residue, which would have to be disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill. Alternatives 3 and 4 rely on vapor extraction and would not lower risks from metal to human health or the environment. 

The potential use of substitute crop protectants in areas where contamination has been discovered and the general lack of Information with respect to the leaching properties and groundwater persistence of many carbamate and organophosphorus pesticides make It Imperative to Investigate the degradation behavior of a broad range of these compounds. 

The tables and maps in this appendix list the locations of prominent areas with arsenic-contaminated groundwater, geothermal waters, and/or substantial arsenic-bearing rocks and mining wastes. Additionally, there are countless sites that have local waters, sediments, and soils that have been contaminated by arsenic from chemical manufacturing facilities, pesticide applications, and individual mines. These small-scale areas, which include hundreds of Superfund sites in the United States, are too numerous and poorly documented to list in this appendix. Appendix B in US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (2002) lists the locations of Superfund sites where arsenic is a contaminant of concern. 

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