Generalization and formalization of the US EPA procedure for design of treated wastewater aquifer recharge basins: II. Retrofit of Souhil Wadi (Nabeul, Tunisia) pilot plant

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 764-771
Author(s):  
Hamadi Kallali ◽  
Mitsuo Yoshida ◽  
Jamila Tarhouni ◽  
Naceur Jedidi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Us Epa

The ‘Cap Bon’ peninsula in Tunisia suffers from intensive tourist activities, high demographic increase and industrial development. As groundwater had been for a long time the main water source, aquifers had been subject to a severe depletion and seawater intrusion. Despite the measures taken prohibiting new drillings and water carrying by the construction of a waterway linking the region to the north-west region of Tunisia, the problem of water shortage persists. Artificial recharge of groundwater with treated wastewater has been decided as a technique to replenish the region aquifers. A pilot plant was constructed in the early 1980s in Souhil Wadi (Nabeul) area. Many experiments have been carried out on this plant and have led to controversial opinions about its performance and its impact on groundwater contamination. This contribution concerns the application of the procedure that we developed from the generalization and the formalization of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) methodology for the design of treated wastewater aquifer recharge basins. This upgrading procedure implemented in a spreadsheet, has been used to retrofit the Souhil Wadi facility in order to improve its performance. This method highlighted the importance of the safety factor to estimate wastewater infiltration rate from clean water permeability measurements. It has, also, demonstrated the discordance between the initial design parameters of Souhil Wadi facility and their current status as they have changed with time and the infiltration capacity of the basins has been affected by clogging. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that with the current state of clogging of the basins, the design infiltration rate limited by the most restrictive layer (6.1 cm/hr) corresponds to 22% of the surface infiltration rate reached after a drying period of 10 d, which means that we need more basins to absorb the daily loading rate. The design method leads to the construct ion of five basins of 961 m2 (31 × 31 m) each, with one basin being flooded for 3 d with 27 cm of water daily and rested for 10 d. The current status is completely different as only four basins are constructed with 324 m2 each. Many actions in the short, medium and long term have been advised in order to improve the system performance.

Generalization and formalization of the USEPA procedure for design of treated wastewater aquifer recharge basins: I. Theoretical development

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamadi Kallali ◽  
Mitsuo Yoshida ◽  
Jamila Tarhouni ◽  
Naceur Jedidi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Method Of Calculation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Recharge Rates

Groundwater is vulnerable to overdraft and depletion, especially in relatively dry regions where natural recharge rates are very low and groundwater is the main source of water. Artificial recharge of groundwater with treated wastewater has been widely adopted as a technique to replenish the overdraft aquifers. Indeed, in the USA, the technique has been practised for a long time. In 1981, a design procedure manual was developed for practitioners by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It was updated in 1984 and lastly in 2006. However, the design procedure has not been fully generalized for the different situations and has not been fully formalized in order to allow its automated implementation on calculation software (i.e. spreadsheet). Therefore, in this paper we formalized and generalized the USEPA design procedure to achieve an automated iterative method of calculation which can be easily implemented in a spreadsheet.

scholarly journals Distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils from Shengli Oil Field, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kuang ◽  
Y. Su ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
Z. Song ◽  
H. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Total Pahs ◽  
Fine Soil ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Pahs Concentration ◽  
Us Epa

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority pollutant list, were studied in ten different soil samples from Shengli Oil Field, China. The total PAHs concentrations in the sampled soils attained 1214.9–2965.1 ng/g (2159.6 ng/g on average). The highest total PAHs concentration was in the soil with a huge content of oil sludge, while the lowest was in fine soil environment areas. The soil contamination with PAHs in the study areas was classified as severe. The major pollutants were naphthalene, phenathrene, fluorine (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), while the detected concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene was relatively low. Among the 16 kinds of PAHs, the concentration increased in the order: 6 rings < 5 rings < 4 rings < 2 rings < 3 rings. The ratios of Flu/(Flu + Pyr) and indeno benzene(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (IP)/(IP + BaP) were 0.46–0.48, and 0.36–0.64, respectively. Our results suggest that the main sources of PAHs were petroleum extraction and petroleum combustion. In addition, a small amount of PAHs originated from combustion of grass, woods, and coal.  

scholarly journals Assessment of the Heavy Metals Pollution and Ecological Risk in Sediments of Mediterranean Sea Drain Estuaries in Egypt and Phytoremediation Potential of Two Emergent Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12244
Author(s):  
Yasser A. El-Amier ◽  
Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa ◽  
Ashraf Elsayed ◽  
Mohamed A. El-Esawi ◽  
Mohammad S. AL-Harbi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Ecological Effect ◽  
Us Epa

Environmental pollution and its eco-toxicological impacts have become a large and interesting concern worldwide as a result of fast urbanization, population expansion, sewage discharge, and heavy industrial development. Nine heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Co) were evaluated in 20 sediment samples from the estuaries of four major drains along the Mediterranean shoreline (Nile Delta coast) to determine the possible ecological effect of high heavy metal concentrations as well as roots and shoots of two common macrophytes (Cyperus alopecuroides and Persicaria salicifolia). For sediment, single- and multi-elemental standard indices were used to measure ecological risk. Data revealed high contents of heavy metals, for which the mean values of heavy metals in sediment followed a direction of Fe > Mn > Co > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cd, Fe > Mn > Co > Ni > Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd and Fe > Mn > Zn > Co > Cu > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cd for drains stream, estuaries, and Mediterranean coast, respectively. Mn, Cr, Zn, and Pb were found to be within Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines (CSQGD) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines (US-EPA) limitations, except for Zn and Pb in drain streams, which were above the US-EPA limits, whereas Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni indicated a high ecological risk index. This high quantity of contaminants might be linked to unabated manufacturing operations, which can bio-accumulate in food systems and create significant health issues in people. C. alopecuroides root demonstrated a more efficient accumulation of all metals than the shoot system. For most heavy metals, C. alopecuroides had the highest root BAF levels with the exception of Ni and Pb in P. salicifolia. As a result, C. alopecuroides might be employed as a possible phytoextractor of these dangerous metals, while P. salicifolia could be used as a hyper-accumulator of Ni and Pb. The policymaker must consider strict rules and restrictions against uncontrolled industrial operations, particularly in the Nile Delta near water streams.

scholarly journals Derivation of an aquatic benchmark for invertebrates potentially exposed to imidacloprid

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwayne RJ Moore ◽  
Colleen D Greer ◽  
Melissa Whitfield-Aslund ◽  
Lisa M Bowers ◽  
Sean McGee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Invertebrate Communities ◽  
Us Epa ◽  
Best Fit

Water quality benchmarks are developed by many jurisdictions worldwide with the general goal of identifying concentrations that protect aquatic communities. Imidacloprid is a widely-used neonicotinoid insecticide for which benchmark values vary widely between North America and Europe. For example, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) recently established chronic water quality benchmarks for imidacloprid of 0.009 and 0.0083 µg/L, respectively. In Canada and the United States (US), however, the current chronic water quality benchmarks – termed aquatic life benchmark by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) – for freshwater biota are orders of magnitude higher, i.e., 0.23 and 1.05 µg/L, respectively. Historically, aquatic benchmarks for imidacloprid have been derived for invertebrates because they are the most sensitive aquatic receptors. To date, derivation of water quality benchmarks for imidacloprid have relied on the results of laboratory-based toxicity tests on single invertebrate species. Such tests do not account for environmental factors affecting bioavailability and toxicity or species interactions and potential for recovery. Microcosm, mesocosm and field studies are available for aquatic invertebrate communities exposed to imidacloprid. These higher tier studies are more representative of the natural environment and can be used to derive a chronic benchmark for imidacloprid. A water quality benchmark based on the results of higher tier studies is protective of freshwater invertebrate communities without the uncertainty associated with extrapolating from laboratory studies to field conditions. We used the results of higher tier studies to derive a chronic water quality benchmark for imidacloprid as follows: (1) for each taxon (family, subfamily or class depending on the study), we determined the most sensitive 21-day No Observed Effects Concentration (NOEC), (2) we fit the taxon NOECs to five distributions and determined the best-fit distribution, and (3) we determined the HC5 from the best-fit distribution. The higher tier chronic HC5 for imidacloprid is 1.01 µg/L, which is close to the current US EPA chronic aquatic life benchmark of 1.05 µg/L.

scholarly journals Monthly Variations in Perfluorinated Compound Concentrations in Groundwater

Toxics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Steele ◽  
Converse Griffith ◽  
Christin Duran
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Sampled Data ◽  
Perfluorinated Compound ◽  
Us Epa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Air Force Base ◽  
Monthly Variations

Large-scale manufacturing of poly- and perfluorinated compounds in the second half of the 20th century has led to their ubiquity in the environment, and their unique structure has made them persistent contaminants. A recent drinking water advisory level issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency lowered the advisory level concentration of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from 200 nanograms per liter and 400 nanograms per liter, respectively, to 70 nanograms per liter separately or combined. Small temporal variations in PFOS and PFOA concentrations could be the difference between meeting or exceeding the recommended limit. In this study, newly sampled data from a contaminated military site in Alaska and historical data from former Pease Air Force Base were collected. Data were evaluated to determine if monthly variations within PFOS and PFOA existed. No statistically significant temporal trend was observed in the Alaska data, while the results from Pease, although statistically significant, showed the spread of observed contaminant concentrations around the fitted line is broad (as indicated by the low R2 values), indicating that collection date has little value in predicting contaminant concentrations. Though not currently the subject of a US EPA health advisory, data on perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were collected for each site and their average concentrations evaluated.

United States Environmental Protection Agency National Radon Proficiency Programmes

1994 ◽  
Vol 56 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 275-280
Author(s):  
P.P. Jalbert ◽  
G.L. Salmon ◽  
S. De Scisciolo (INVITED)
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Radon Measurement ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Us

Abstract The US Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary National Radon Proficiency Programmes: Radon Measurement, and Reduction Proficiency are described, including their history and development, current status and future directions. The Radon Measurement Proficiency (RMP) and Radon Contractor Proficiency (RCP) programmes are fundamental to the Agency's programme to reduce the health risk associated with exposure to elevated radon levels in indoor air. Originally developed to provide technical assistance to States, the proficiency programmes now offer US consumers assurance of the quality of their radon measurements and reduction jobs. In other words, the proficiency programmes provide a means to consumers for deciding from which organisations or individuals to purchase radon services. This is especially important in the United States where most radon services are acquired through private enterprises rather than through the public sector. The Agency encourages the public to purchase radon measurement and reduction services only from organisations or individuals that have met the requirements of EPA's proficiency programmes. An increasing number of States require an EPA proficiency listing for their radon registration, licensing, and certification programmes. EPA estimates that about 85% of US companies offering radon services are participating in its proficiency programmes. Consequently, the Agency believes that the development and growth of quality radon services has kept pace with consumer demand. The United States markeplace for residential radon measurement and mitigation services has been dynamic since its inception in the mid-1980s. The fluidity of the market is likely to continue, with some significant changes appearing imminent. The US Congress is now considering legislation that would require participation in the Agency's radon proficiency programmes. In addition, this legislation contains provisions that would encourage consumer testing. Increased testing, coupled with a mandatory national proficiency programme, is likely to result in an increase in the quality of radon services available to the US public.

scholarly journals Monitoring the Drainage Efficiency of Infiltration Trenches in Fractured and Karstified Limestone via Time-Lapse Hydrogeophysical Approach

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo De Carlo ◽  
Maria Clementina Caputo ◽  
Rita Masciale ◽  
Michele Vurro ◽  
Ivan Portoghese
Keyword(s):  
Warm Season ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Infiltration Process ◽  
Rock Formation ◽  
Process Dynamics

In the test site of Castellana Grotte (Southern Italy), since 2016, around 2300 m3d−1 of tertiary treated wastewater has been alternatively spread in nine infiltration trenches, dug into fractured and karstified limestone. In one of these trenches, located upstream, seasonal variations in the infiltration rate were observed, with a lower infiltration rate during summer than in winter. This effect could be due to the occurrence of a bioclogging phenomenon in the warm season. In addition, time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was carried out in two different periods, corresponding to the wet and dry seasons, in order to investigate the infiltration process dynamics below the bottom of the trench. Remarkable variability was observed between the south and north sides of the trench—clearly related to the local-scale heterogeneity of the rock formation of the trenches. The results suggest that such an integrated approach should be considered of great interest in case of using infiltration trenches as managed aquifer recharge (MAR) plants. This methodology could provide useful information about the heterogeneities of the rock formation, supporting an alert system for the identification of clogging effects during the life cycle of the plant.

Trace-level quantification of N-nitrosopiperazine in treated wastewater using supported liquid extraction and hydrophilic interaction chromatography mass spectrometry

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (9) ◽  
pp. 539-546
Author(s):  
Anthony Lapointe ◽  
Stéphanie Gallant ◽  
Simon Comtois-Marotte ◽  
Alexandra Furtos ◽  
Karen C. Waldron
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Multiple Reaction Monitoring ◽  
The United States ◽  
Liquid Extraction ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Sample ◽  
Hydrophilic Interaction ◽  
Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Regenerable amine-based solvents used for post-combustion CO2 capture, primarily monoethanolamine and piperazine, are known to undergo degradation and secondary reactions over time forming, amongst other species, N-nitrosamines. These carcinogenic species can eventually make their way from treated wastewater into environmental waters. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recommends that the concentration of N-nitrosamines in surface water not exceed 1.24 μg/L. We have developed a straightforward method to quantify N-nitrosopiperazine in treated wastewater by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (HILIC–MS) after sample preparation by supported liquid extraction (SLE). To achieve the best extraction recovery and method limits of quantification (MLOQ), standards were prepared in a high-salt synthetic matrix to mimic the treated wastewater effluent. To further improve the MLOQ, the drying steps after extraction were optimized. HILIC separation of the highly polar analytes was achieved using an ethylene-bridged hybrid amide stationary phase. Detection was achieved using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in positive electrospray ionisation and multiple reaction monitoring mode, providing a final MLOQ of 0.25 μg/L for N-nitrosopiperazine. Validation of the method was carried out to ensure good confidence in the data obtained for a treated wastewater sample from a post-combustion CO2 capture facility. In addition, N-nitrosopiperazine was quantified with the developed SLE-HILIC–MS method in eight degraded carbon capture samples that had not yet undergone wastewater treatment.

scholarly journals US EPA EnviroAtlas Meter-Scale Urban Land Cover (MULC): 1-m Pixel Land Cover Class Definitions and Guidance

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Pilant ◽  
Keith Endres ◽  
Daniel Rosenbaum ◽  
Gillian Gundersen
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Urban Land Cover ◽  
Us Epa

This article defines the land cover classes used in Meter-Scale Urban Land Cover (MULC), a unique, high resolution (one meter2 per pixel) land cover dataset developed for 30 US communities for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) EnviroAtlas. MULC data categorize the landscape into these land cover classes: impervious surface, tree, grass-herbaceous, shrub, soil-barren, water, wetland and agriculture. MULC data are used to calculate approximately 100 EnviroAtlas metrics that serve as indicators of nature’s benefits (ecosystem goods and services). MULC, a dataset for which development is ongoing, is produced by multiple classification methods using aerial photo and LiDAR datasets. The mean overall fuzzy accuracy across the EnviroAtlas communities is 88% and mean Kappa coefficient is 0.84. MULC is available in EnviroAtlas via web browser, web map service (WMS) in the user’s geographic information system (GIS), and as downloadable data at EPA Environmental Data Gateway. Fact sheets and metadata for each MULC community are available through EnviroAtlas. Some MULC applications include mapping green and grey infrastructure, connecting land cover with socioeconomic/demographic variables, street tree planting, urban heat island analysis, mosquito habitat risk mapping and bikeway planning. This article provides practical guidance for using MULC effectively and developing similar high resolution (HR) land cover data.

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