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Petroleum Contamination of Ground Water in Maryland a
Author(s) -
Matis John R.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1971.tb03578.x
Subject(s) - contamination , petroleum , environmental science , petroleum product , underground storage tank , groundwater , complaint , mining engineering , geology , waste management , law , engineering , storage tank , geotechnical engineering , ecology , paleontology , political science , biology
Petroleum contamination of ground water is a widespread problem that plagues many areas. Historical data collected in Maryland indicates that most counties in the State record cases of this contamination problem annually. Cases in the “hard‐rock areas” west of the Fall Zone have the highest frequency of occurrence, in contrast to the Coastal Plain geologic province to the east. In both areas, the problems have been very localized. It is difficult to handle petroleum contamination cases, and the legal implications are very complex. A disturbing factor is that many petroleum fuels do not deteriorate in the ground‐water system. Further, the identification of specific petroleum products in ground water is generally not possible with present techniques. An investigation of a particular complaint can often be split into a preliminary phase and a detailed site investigation phase. Once a source of contamination is located, it must be stopped or removed. Since it is virtually impossible to remove the contaminant from the ground water, legal and regulatory problems continue on for months or years after an original complaint.