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Application of VLEACH to Vadose Zone Transport of VOCs at an Arizona Superfund Site
Author(s) -
Rosenbloom J.,
Mock P.,
Lawson P.,
Brown J.,
Turin H.J.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
groundwater monitoring and remediation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-6592
pISSN - 1069-3629
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6592.1993.tb00085.x
Subject(s) - vadose zone , groundwater , soil water , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , soil science , geology , geotechnical engineering
Cleanup standards for volatile organic compounds in thick vadose zones can be based on indirect risk (transport to ground water) when contamination is below depths of significant direct risk. At one Arizona Superfund site, a one‐dimensional vadose zone transport model (VLE‐ACH) was used to estimate the continued transport of VOCs from the vadose zone to ground water. VLEACH is a relatively simple and readily available model that proved useful for estimating indirect risk from VOCs in the vadose zone at this site. The estimates of total soil concentrations used as initial conditions for VLF.ACH incorporated a variety of data from the site. Soil gas concentrations were found to be more useful than soil matrix data for estimating total soil concentrations at this arid‐zone site. A simple mixing cell model was used with the VLEACH‐derived mass loading estimates from the vadose zone over time to estimate the resulting changes in ground water concentrations. For this site, the results of the linked VLEACH/mixing cell simulations indicate it is likely that the federal MCI. for TCE will be exceeded in underlying ground water if remedial action on I he vadose zone is not pursued.