Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Monitored Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvent Plumes

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover In Situ Remediation of Chlorinated Solvent Plumes

Part of the book series: SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology ((SERDP/ESTCP))

Abstract

As specified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA, 1999), the term “monitored natural attenuation … refers to the reliance on natural attenuation processes … to achieve site-specific remediation objectives within a time frame that is reasonable compared to that offered by other more active methods. The ‘natural attenuation processes’ that are at work in such a remediation approach include a variety of physical, chemical, or biological processes that, under favorable conditions, act without human intervention to reduce the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume, or concentration of contaminants in soil or groundwater. These in situ processes include biodegradation; dispersion; dilution; sorption; volatilization; radioactive decay; and chemical or biological stabilization, transformation, or destruction of contaminants. When relying on natural attenuation processes for site remediation, EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] prefers those processes that degrade or destroy contaminants.”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adrian L, Szewzyk U, Wecke J, Görisch H. 2000. Bacterial dehalorespiration with chlorinated benzenes. Nat 408:580–583.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aziz C, Newell C, Gonzales J, Haas P, Clement T, Sun Y. 2000. BIOCHLOR Natural Attenuation Decision Support System. EPA/600/R‑00/008. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y. 1995. Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J Royal Statistical Society, Series B 57:289–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom Y, Aravana R, Hunkeler D, Edwards E, Frape SK. 2000. Carbon isotope fractionation during microbial dechlorination of trichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride: Implications for assessment of natural attenuation. Environ Sci Technol 34:2768–2772.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chartrand MMG, Morrill PL, Lacrampe-Couloume G, Sherwood Lollar B. 2005. Stable isotope evidence for biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes at a fractured bedrock site. Environ Sci Technol 39:4848–4856.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cupples AM, Spormann AM, McCarty PL. 2004. Vinyl chloride and cis-dichloroethene dechlorination kinetics and microorganism growth under substrate limiting conditions. Environ Sci Technol 38:1102–1107.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dempster H, Sherwood Lollar B, Feenstra S. 1997. Tracing organic contaminants in groundwater: A new methodology using compound specific isotope analysis. Environ Sci Technol 31:3193–3197.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel M, Wehr S, Yu L, Rizvi H, Seepersad D, Dworatzek S, Cox EE, Edwards EA. 2002. Comparison of anaerobic dechlorinating enrichment cultures maintained on tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride. Water Res 36:4193–4202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fennell DE, Carroll AB, Gossett JM, Zinder SH. 2001. Assessment of indigenous reductive dechlorinating potential at a TCE-contaminated site using microcosms, polymerase chain reaction analysis, and site data. Environ Sci Technol 35:1830–1839.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrey ML, Wilkin RT, Ford RG, Wilson JT. 2004. Nonbiological removal of cis-dichloroethylene and 1,1-dichloroethylene in aquifer sediment containing magnetite. Environ Sci Technol 38:1746–1752.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He J, Ritalahti KM, Aiello MR, Löffler FE. 2003a. Complete detoxification of vinyl chloride by an anaerobic enrichment culture and identification of the reductively dechlorinating population as a Dehalococcoides species. Appl Environ Microbiol 69:996–1003.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He J, Ritalahti KM, Yang K, Koenigsberg SS, Löffler FE. 2003b. Detoxification of vinyl chloride to ethene coupled to growth of an anaerobic bacterium. Nat 424:62–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hendrickson ER, Payne JA, Young RM, Starr MG, Perry MP, Fahnestock S, Ellis DE, Ebersole RC. 2002. Molecular analysis of Dehalococcoides 16S ribosomal DNA from chloroethene-contaminated sites throughout North America and Europe. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:485–495.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunkeler D, Aravena R, Butler BJ. 1999. Monitoring microbial dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) in groundwater using compound-specific carbon isotope ratios: Microcosms and field experiments. Environ Sci Technol 33:2733–2738.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunkeler D, Aravena R, Cox E. 2002. Carbon isotopes as a tool to evaluate the origin and fate of vinyl chloride: Laboratory experiments and modeling of isotope evolution. Environ Sci Technol 36:3378–3384.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunkeler D, Aravena R, Berry-Spark K, Cox E. 2005. Assessment of degradation pathways in an aquifer with mixed chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination using stable isotope analysis. Environ Sci Technol 39:5975–5981.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunkeler D, Meckenstock R, Sherwood Lollar B, Schmidt T, Wilson J. 2008. A Guide for Assessing Biodegradation and Source Identification of Organic Ground Water Contaminants Using Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA). EPA/600/R-08/148. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jendrzejewski N, Eggankamp HGM, Coleman ML. 2001. Characterization of chlorinated hydrocarbons from chlorine and carbon isotopic compositions: Scope of application to environmental problems. Appl Geochem 16:1021–1031.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lendvay JM, Löffler FE, Dollhopf M, Aiello MR, Daniels G, Fathepure BZ, Gebhard M, Heine R, Helton R, Shi J, Krajmalnik-Brown R, Major CL, Barcelona MJ, Petrovskis E, Hickey R, Tiedje JM, Adriaens P. 2003. Bioreactive barriers: A comparison of bioaugmentation and biostimulation for chlorinated solvent remediation. Environ Sci Technol 37:1422–1431.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Löffler FE, Sun Q, Li J, Tiedje JM. 2000. 16S rRNA gene-based detection of tetrachloroethene-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas and Dehalococcoides species. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:1369–1374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu X, Kampbell DH, Wilson JT. 2006a. Evaluation of the Role of Dehalococcoides Organisms in the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Ethylenes in Ground Water. EPA/600/R-06/029. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu X, Wilson JT, Kampbell DH. 2006b. Relationship between geochemical parameters and the occurrence of Dehalococcoides DNA in contaminated aquifers. Water Resour Res 42: WO8427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu X, Wilson JT, Kampbell DH. 2006c. Relationship between Dehalococcoides DNA in ground water and rates of reductive dechlorination at field scale. Water Res 40:3131–3140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mariotti A, Germon JC, Hubert P, Kaiser P, Letolle R, Tardieux A, Tardieux P. 1981. Experimental determination of nitrogen kinetic isotope fractionation: Some principles; Illustration for the denitrification and nitrification processes. Plant Soil 62:413–430.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maymó-Gatell X., Chien Y-T, Gossett JM, Zinder SH. 1997. Isolation of a bacterium that reductively dechlorinates tetrachloroethene to ethene. Sci 276:1568–1571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maymó-Gatell X, Nijenhuis I, Zinder SH. 2001. Reductive dechlorination of cis-1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride by “Dehalococcoides ethenogenes”. Environ Sci Technol 35:516–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuire TM, Newell CJ, Looney BB, Vangelas KM, Sink CH. 2004. Historical analysis of monitored natural attenuation: A survey of 191 chlorinated solvent sites and 45 solvent plumes. Remediat J 15:99–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meckenstock RU, Morasch B, Griebler C, Richnow HH. 2004. Stable isotope fractionation analysis as a tool to monitor biodegradation in contaminated aquifers. J Contam Hydrol 75:215–255.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrill P, Lacrampe-Couloume G, Slater GF, Sleep BE, Edwards EA, McMaster ML, Major DW, Sherwood Lollar B. 2005. Quantifying chlorinated ethene degradation during reductive dechlorination at Kelly AFB using stable isotopes. J Contam Hydrol 76:279–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency). 2009. Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) Superfund Site. http://www.pca.state.mn.us/cleanup/sites/tcaap.html. Accessed June 23, 2009.

  • NRC (National Research Council). 2000. Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation. National Research Council Committee on Intrinsic Remediation. National Academies Press, Washington, DC, USA. 292 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell CJ, Rifai HS, Wilson JT, Connor JA, Aziz JA, Suarez MP. 2002. Calculation and Use of First-Order Rate Constants for Monitored Natural Attenuation Studies. EPA/540/S-02/500. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pope DF, Acree SD, Levine H, Mangion S, van Ee J, Hurt K, Wilson B. 2004. Performance Monitoring of MNA Remedies for VOCs in Ground Water. EPA/600/R-04/027. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritalahti KM, Amos BK, Sung Y, Wu Q, Koenigsberg SS, Löffler FE. 2006. Quantitative PCR targeting 16S rRNA and reductive dehalogenase genes simultaneously monitors multiple Dehalococcoides strains. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:2765–2774.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt TC, Zwank L, Elsner M, Berg M, Mechenstock RU, Haderlein SB. 2004. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis of organic contaminants in natural environments: A critical review of the state of the art, prospects, and future challenges. Anal Bioanal Chem 378:283–300.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program). 2005. Expert Panel Workshop Report: Research and Development Needs for Environmental Remediation Applications of Molecular Biological Tools. SERDP, Arlington, VA, USA. http://www.serdp.org/Research/ER-chlorinated-solvents.cfm. Accessed April 7, 2010.

  • Slater GF, Sherwood Lollar B, Sleep BE, Edwards EA. 2001. Variability of carbon isotope fractionation during biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes: Implications for field applications. Environ Sci Technol 35:901–907.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherwood Lollar B, Slater GF, Ahad J, Sleep B, Spivack J, Brennan M, MacKenzie P. 1999. Contrasting carbon isotope fractionation during biodegradation of trichloroethylene and toluene: Implications for intrinsic biodegradation. Org Geochem 30:813–820.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherwood Lollar B, Slater GF, Sleep B, Witt M, Klecka GM, Harkness M, Spivack J. 2001. Stable carbon isotope evidence for intrinsic bioremediation of tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene at Area 6, Dover Air Force Base. Environ Sci Technol 35:261–269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song DL, Conrad ME, Sorenson KS, Alvarez-Cohen L. 2002. Stable carbon isotope fractionation during enhanced in situ bioremediation of trichloroethene. Environ Sci Technol 36:2262–2268.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • TCAAP. 1999. Installation Restoration Program, Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Fiscal Year 1998 Annual Performance Report. Prepared by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wenck Associates, Alliant Tech Systems, Conestoga Rovers and Associates. July.

    Google Scholar 

  • TCAAP. 2006. Installation Restoration Program, Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Fiscal Year 2005 Annual Performance Report. Prepared by Alliant Tech Systems, Conestoga Rovers and Associates, and SECOR International. December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas JM, Lee MD, Ward CH. 1987. Use of ground water in assessment of biodegradation potential in the subsurface. Environ Toxicol Chem 6:607–614.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Use of Monitored Natural Attenuation at Superfund, RCRA Corrective Action, and Underground Storage Tank Sites. USEPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Directive, 9200.4–17P. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. 2007. USEPA Region 5 NPL Fact Sheet: New Brighton/Arden Hills/TCAAP (USARMY), EPA IS # MN7213820908. Last Updated February 2007. http://www.epa.gov/R5Super/npl/minnesota/MN7213820908.htm. Accessed June 23, 2009.

  • van Warmerdam EM, Frape SK, Aravena R, Drimmie RJ, Flatt H, Cherry JA. 1995. Stable chlorine and carbon isotope measurements of selected chlorinated organic solvents. Appl Geochem 10:547–552.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wiedemeier TH, Swanson MA, Moutoux DE, Gordon EK, Wilson JT, Wilson BH, Kampbell DH, Haas PE, Miller RN, Hansen JE, Chapelle FH. 1998. Technical Protocol for Evaluating Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents in Ground Water. EPA/600/R‑98/128. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JT, Kampbell DH, Ferrey M, Estuesta P. 2001. Evaluation of the Protocol for the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents: Case Study at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant. EPA/600/R‑01/025. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JT, Kaiser PM, Adair C. 2005. Monitored Natural Attenuation of MTBE as a Risk Management Option at Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites. EPA‑600/R‑04/1790. USEPA, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ada, OK, 74820, USA

    John T. Wilson

Authors
  1. John T. Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. HydroGeoLogic, Inc., 11107 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, 20190-5309, Virginia, USA

    H.F. Stroo

  2. Dept. Environmental Science & Engin., Rice University, Main Street 6100, Houston, 77005-1892, Texas, USA

    C.H. Ward

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wilson, J.T. (2010). Monitored Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvent Plumes. In: Stroo, H., Ward, C. (eds) In Situ Remediation of Chlorinated Solvent Plumes. SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1401-9_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation