scholarly journals Review of sensors for the in situ chemical characterization of the Hanford underground storage tanks

10.2172/88591 ◽  
1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.R. Kyle ◽  
E.L. Mayes
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Underground Storage Tanks

scholarly journals Environmental Health Threats Associated with Drainage from a Coastal Urban Watershed

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Humphrey ◽  
Jamil Blackmon ◽  
Tim Kelley ◽  
Michael ODriscoll ◽  
Guy Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Underground Storage Tanks ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

The project goal was to determine if stormwater runoff and the legacy effects of leaking underground storage tanks (UST) posed an environmental health threat along an urban stream, Town Creek (TC). Baseflow and stormflow samples were collected from TC between March and October 2016 for physical and chemical characterization and E. coli analyses. Groundwater seeps and wells near the banks of TC were also sampled for E. coli and benzene analyses. Stormflow concentrations of E. coli were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated relative to preceding baseflow and groundwater concentrations. Overall, 80% of stormflow samples and 45% of baseflow samples exceeded the US EPA recommended standards for E. coli in recreational waters. Benzene was detected in all water samples analyzed and 50% of samples collected from a seep on the western bank of TC exceeded the maximum contaminant level. Concentrations of benzene emitted to air from contaminated soil exceeded short term exposure standards 75% of times sampled. Results suggest the drainage from TC may be a threat to environmental health. Implementation of stormwater control measures is suggested to reduce the delivery of runoff and E. coli to TC. Remediation of groundwater contaminated by leaking underground storage tanks is also suggested.

Anthropology and Environmental Problems in the U.S.: The Case of Groundwater Contamination

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 5-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Fitchen
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Agricultural Chemicals ◽  
Underground Storage Tanks ◽  
Industrial Operations ◽  
Improper Use ◽  
The U.S

Chemical contamination of groundwater has become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. Once thought to be safe from pollution, the underground aquifers that supply drinking water to about half of the U.S. population are now known to be vulnerable to contamination from leaking landfills, waste lagoons, underground storage tanks, improper use of agricultural chemicals, and various industrial operations. Manufactured chemical compounds, including industrial degreasers and solvents, as well as gasoline, pesticides and fertilizers (in all, over 700 synthetic organic chemicals) have seeped down through the soil to the aquifers and been detected in ground water. Nearly every state has identified cases of contamination serious enough to require closing of some public or private supply wells.

Investigating the Effective Resistivity of Reinforced Concrete Waste Storage Tanks at the Hanford Site

Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-50
Author(s):  
Allan Haas ◽  
Dale F. Rucker ◽  
Marc T. Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Hanford Site ◽  
Underground Storage Tanks ◽  
Effective Resistivity ◽  
Geophysical Surveys ◽  
Wide Range

Industrialized sites pose challenges for conducting electrical resistivity geophysical surveys, as the sites typically contain metallic infrastructure that can mask electrolytic-based soil and groundwater contamination. The Hanford site in eastern Washington State, USA, is an industrialized site with underground storage tanks, piping networks, steel fencing, and other potentially interfering infrastructure that could inhibit the effectiveness of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to map historical and monitor current waste releases. The underground storage tanks are the largest contributor by volume to subsurface infrastructure and can be classified as reinforced concrete structures with an internal steel liner. Directly measuring the effective value for the electrical resistivity of the tank, i.e., the combination of individual components that comprise the tank’s shell, is not reasonably possible because they are buried and dangerously radioactive. Therefore, we indirectly assess the general resistivity of the tanks and surrounding infrastructure by developing synthetic ERT models with a parametric forward modeling study using a wide range of resistivity values from 1×10−6 to 1×104 ohm-m, which are equivalent to steel and dry rock, respectively. The synthetic models used the long-electrode ERT method (LE-ERT), whereby steel cased metallic wells surrounding the tanks are used as electrodes. The patterns and values of the synthetic tomographic models were then compared to LE-ERT field data from the AX tank farm at the Hanford site. This indirect method of assessing the effective resistivity revealed that the reinforced concrete tanks are electrically resistive and the accompanying piping infrastructure has little influence on the overall resistivity distribution when using electrically based geophysical methods for characterizing or monitoring waste releases. Our findings are consistent with nondestructive testing literature that also shows reinforced concrete to be generally resistive.

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