Aquifer Remediation and Chemical Recovery following a Spill due to an Earthquake in Turkey

In the aftermath of the August 1999 earthquake in Turkey, ruptures in piping connections of storage tanks resulted in an acrylonitrile spill. A postincident risk assessment revealed that the acrylonitrile concentrations in the seawater and sediments rapidly decreased down to non-detect levels within a month of the incident. Periodic monitoring data revealed that the acrylonitrile contamination was limited to on-site soil and shallow groundwater at the site. A shallow groundwater monitoring and extraction program was initiated in October 1999. Groundwater had been pumped out of 3 manholes and 4 drainage ditches installed on-site. Acrylonitrile concentrations in one of the monitoring wells decreased from an initial high of 80,000 ppm down to non-detect levels at the end of the third year. This paper presents the hydrogeological setting, chemical recovery efficiency and successful outcome of a long-term environmental project on groundwater quality monitoring and shallow aquifer remediation following a chemical spill.