Contaminants associated with industrial, airport, and other activities are present in groundwater in fractured-rock aquifers, posing long-term hazards to drinking-water supplies and ecosystems. The heterogeneous character of fractured rock challenges our understanding, monitoring, and remediation of such sites.
Since 1993, USGS has been providing technical assistance to the U.S. Navy and conducting research at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) in West Trenton, N.J., where trichloroethene (TCE) has migrated in fractures and diffused into, and adsorbed onto, low-permeability mudstone strata, acting as a long-term residual source of contaminants. These studies have helped the Navy efficiently monitor the ongoing natural attenuation of TCE and improve the pump and treat system to remove contaminants and contain impacted groundwater.
Current investigations are focused on understanding flow and transport processes affecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fractured-rock aquifers.
Research results include development of field methods to measure rates and coefficients associated with desorption, reaction, and diffusion of TCE and its degradation products in low-permeability strata (read more). In addition to research by USGS hydrologists, geochemists, and microbiologists, a broad range of studies on characterization, monitoring, and remediation of TCE in fractured rock have been conducted in collaboration with EPA, SERDP and ESTCP, academia, and private industry.
Background information and results prior to 2018 are provided in our Archive.
Related Science
A Field Method to Quantify Chlorinated Solvent Diffusion, Sorption, Abiotic and Biotic Degradation in Low-Permeability Zones
Contaminants in groundwater near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania
Contaminants in Complex Hydrogeologic Settings - NAWC 2018 Archive
Simulation of groundwater flow and pathlines at NAWC NJ (2006)
NAWC data and tools
Reported groundwater levels and groundwater pump-and-treat withdrawal volumes, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2018
Concentrations of Chlorinated Ethene Compounds in Rock Core Collected from the Mudstone Underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey
MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models used to simulate hydraulic tomography pumping tests and identify a fracture network, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
Pumping Rate, Drawdown, and Atmospheric Pressure Data from Hydraulic Tomography Experiment at the Former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ, 2015-2016
Organic and total carbon analyses of rock core collected from boreholes 83BR, 84BR, 85BR, 86BR, 87BR, 88BR, and 89BR in the mudstone underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey
Biogeochemical analyses of water samples collected in the mudstone aquifer underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ (2008-2013)
Data from Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry conducted on samples of a mudstone underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
Lithologic characterization of cores from boreholes 83BR-89BR collected from the mudstone aquifer underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
Groundwater tracing experiments conducted in the mudstone aquifer underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ (2007-2008)
Below are USGS publications associated with this project.
Bibliography at Environmental Health Mission Area
Microbial community response to a bioaugmentation test to degrade trichloroethylene in a fractured rock aquifer, Trenton, N.J
Distribution of chlorinated volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in monitoring wells at the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2014–17
Acetylene-fueled trichloroethene reductive dechlorination in a groundwater enrichment culture
Groundwater levels and generalized potentiometric surfaces, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2018
The complex spatial distribution of trichloroethene and the probability of NAPL occurrence in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Variability of organic carbon content and the retention and release of trichloroethene in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Hydraulic tomography: 3D hydraulic conductivity and fracture network connectivity in a contaminated mudstone aquifer
Acetylenotrophy: A hidden but ubiquitous microbial metabolism?
Bioremediation in fractured rock: 1. Modeling to inform design, monitoring, and expectations
Bioremediation in fractured rock: 2. Mobilization of chloroethene compounds from the rock matrix
Detection of diazotrophy in the acetylene-fermenting anaerobe Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93
Porosity and pore size distribution in a sedimentary rock: Implications for the distribution of chlorinated solvents
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Contaminants associated with industrial, airport, and other activities are present in groundwater in fractured-rock aquifers, posing long-term hazards to drinking-water supplies and ecosystems. The heterogeneous character of fractured rock challenges our understanding, monitoring, and remediation of such sites.
Since 1993, USGS has been providing technical assistance to the U.S. Navy and conducting research at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) in West Trenton, N.J., where trichloroethene (TCE) has migrated in fractures and diffused into, and adsorbed onto, low-permeability mudstone strata, acting as a long-term residual source of contaminants. These studies have helped the Navy efficiently monitor the ongoing natural attenuation of TCE and improve the pump and treat system to remove contaminants and contain impacted groundwater.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.USGS and University at Buffalo Scientists injecting tracers to study diffusion (Public domain). Current investigations are focused on understanding flow and transport processes affecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fractured-rock aquifers.
Research results include development of field methods to measure rates and coefficients associated with desorption, reaction, and diffusion of TCE and its degradation products in low-permeability strata (read more). In addition to research by USGS hydrologists, geochemists, and microbiologists, a broad range of studies on characterization, monitoring, and remediation of TCE in fractured rock have been conducted in collaboration with EPA, SERDP and ESTCP, academia, and private industry.
Background information and results prior to 2018 are provided in our Archive.
- Science
Related Science
A Field Method to Quantify Chlorinated Solvent Diffusion, Sorption, Abiotic and Biotic Degradation in Low-Permeability Zones
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project ER-2533 In chlorinated-solvent-contaminated fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, low-permeability (low-K) strata typically act as long-term or secondary sources of contamination to mobile groundwater in the high-permeability fractures. The fate of dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) in the low-K matrix is controlled by abiotic...Contaminants in groundwater near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of former Navy bases in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucks and Montgomery counties...Contaminants in Complex Hydrogeologic Settings - NAWC 2018 Archive
Long-Term Field Research at former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, New Jersey This is an Archive.Simulation of groundwater flow and pathlines at NAWC NJ (2006)
Hydraulic and Solute-Transport Properties and Simulated Advective Transport of Contaminated Groundwater in a Fractured-Rock Aquifer at the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey by Jean C. Lewis-Brown and Donald E. Rice - Data
NAWC data and tools
Reported groundwater levels and groundwater pump-and-treat withdrawal volumes, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2018
This dataset contains U.S. Navy contractor-reported groundwater level data measured on June 18, 2018 and reported daily total groundwater pump-and-treat withdrawal volumes for calendar year 2018 at the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey. This data release supports: Fiore, A.R., and Lacombe, P.J., 2020, Groundwater levels and generalized potentiometric surfaces, former NavalConcentrations of Chlorinated Ethene Compounds in Rock Core Collected from the Mudstone Underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey
These data sets present results from the analyses of chlorinated ethene compounds in samples of rock core collected from boreholes in the mudstone underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey.MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models used to simulate hydraulic tomography pumping tests and identify a fracture network, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
MODFLOW-2005 groundwater flow models were developed to simulate 47 pumping tests conducted for a hydraulic tomography experiment in fractured rocks underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey. These flow models simulate the change in water level during the pumping tests, which range from about 45 to 60 minutes in duration. MODFLOW-2005 models were also developed to simPumping Rate, Drawdown, and Atmospheric Pressure Data from Hydraulic Tomography Experiment at the Former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ, 2015-2016
This data release presents pumping rate data, water-level drawdown and recovery data, and atmospheric pressure data collected during 48 pumping tests conducted in 2015 and 2016 for a hydraulic tomography field experiment in the mudstone aquifer underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. The pumping rate data include rates measured by in-line flow meters and rates measOrganic and total carbon analyses of rock core collected from boreholes 83BR, 84BR, 85BR, 86BR, 87BR, 88BR, and 89BR in the mudstone underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey
These data sets present results for analyses of the fraction of total and organic carbon in samples of rock core collected from boreholes 83BR, 84BR, 85BR, 86BR, 87BR, 88BR, and 89BR in the Lockatong Formation (mudstone) underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey.Biogeochemical analyses of water samples collected in the mudstone aquifer underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ (2008-2013)
This data set presents results from the analyses of groundwater water samples collected from monitoring wells and monitoring intervals in bedrock wells in the mudstone aquifer underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. The water samples were collected between 2008 and 2013 and were analyzed for field parameters, inorganic and organic constituents, and the abundances oData from Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry conducted on samples of a mudstone underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
This data set presents the results of conducting Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry on core samples of the mudstone underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ. The core samples were selected from the continuous core collected from boreholes 83BR-89BR.Lithologic characterization of cores from boreholes 83BR-89BR collected from the mudstone aquifer underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ
This data set presents the lithologic interpretation of rock cores from boreholes 83BR-89BR collected from the mudstone aquifer underlying the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. Continuous core from these boreholes was collected and visually interpreted to identify characteristics of the depositional environment of the mudstone. Three types of mudstone were identified: a black-fisGroundwater tracing experiments conducted in the mudstone aquifer underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, NJ (2007-2008)
This data set presents results from two groundwater tracing experiments conducted in the mudstone aquifer underlying the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. In each test, a bromide solution was introduced into a hydraulically isolated section of borehole 36BR (denoted as 36BR-A); the hydraulically isolated section of the borehole isolated specific bedding plane parting fractu - Multimedia
- Publications
Below are USGS publications associated with this project.
Bibliography at Environmental Health Mission Area
Filter Total Items: 36Microbial community response to a bioaugmentation test to degrade trichloroethylene in a fractured rock aquifer, Trenton, N.J
Bioaugmentation is a promising strategy for enhancing trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation in fractured rock. However, slow or incomplete biodegradation can lead to stalling at degradation byproducts such as 1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). Over the course of 7 years, we examined the response of groundwater microbial populations in a bioaugmentation test where an emulsified vegAuthorsJennifer C. Underwood, Denise M. Akob, Michelle Lorah, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Ronald W. Harvey, Claire R. TiedemanDistribution of chlorinated volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in monitoring wells at the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2014–17
A study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Navy (the Navy) to determine the status of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in groundwater at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) in West Trenton, New Jersey. Wells contaminated with VOCs were sampled in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 as part of the Navy’s long-termAuthorsThomas E. Imbrigiotta, Alex R. FioreAcetylene-fueled trichloroethene reductive dechlorination in a groundwater enrichment culture
In aquifers, acetylene (C2H2) is a product of abiotic degradation of trichloroethene (TCE) catalyzed by in situ minerals. C2H2 can, in turn, inhibit multiple microbial processes including TCE dechlorination and metabolisms that commonly support dechlorination, in addition to supporting the growth of acetylenotrophic microorganisms. Previously, C2H2 was shown to support TCE reductive dechlorinationAuthorsSara Gushgari-Doyle, Ronald S. Oremland, Ray Keren, Shaun Baesman, Denise M. Akob, Jillian F. Banfield, Lisa Alvarez-CohenGroundwater levels and generalized potentiometric surfaces, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2018
Groundwater-level conditions, generalized groundwater potentiometric surfaces, and generalized flow directions at the decommissioned Naval Air Warfare Center in West Trenton, New Jersey, were evaluated for calendar year 2018. Groundwater levels measured continuously in five on-site wells and one nearby off-site well were plotted as hydrographs for January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. GroundAuthorsAlex R. Fiore, Pierre J. LacombeThe complex spatial distribution of trichloroethene and the probability of NAPL occurrence in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Methanol extractions for chloroethene analyses are conducted on rock samples from seven closely spaced coreholes in a mudstone aquifer that was subject to releases of the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) form of trichloroethene (TCE) between the 1950's and 1990's. Although TCE concentration in the rock matrix over the length of coreholes is dictated by proximity to subhorizontal bedding planefracturAuthorsAllen M. Shapiro, Daniel J. Goode, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Michelle M. Lorah, Claire R. TiedemanVariability of organic carbon content and the retention and release of trichloroethene in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Contaminants diffusing from fractures into the immobile porosity of the rock matrix are subject to prolonged residence times. Organic contaminants can adsorb onto organic carbonaceous materials in the matrix extending contaminant retention. An investigation of spatial variability of the fraction of organic carbon (foc) is conducted on samples of rock core from seven closely spaced boreholes in a mAuthorsAllen M. Shapiro, Rebecca J. BrenneisHydraulic tomography: 3D hydraulic conductivity and fracture network connectivity in a contaminated mudstone aquifer
No abstract available.AuthorsWarren Barrash, Claire R. Tiedeman, Colby Thrash, Jeremy Patterson, Carole D. JohnsonAcetylenotrophy: A hidden but ubiquitous microbial metabolism?
Acetylene (IUPAC name: ethyne) is a colorless, gaseous hydrocarbon, composed of two triple bonded carbon atoms attached to hydrogens (C2H2). When microbiologists and biogeochemists think of acetylene, they immediately think of its use as an inhibitory compound of certain microbial processes and a tracer for nitrogen fixation. However, what is less widely known is that anaerobic and aerobic microorAuthorsDenise M. Akob, John M. Sutton, Janna L. Fierst, Karl B. Haase, Shaun Baesman, George Luther, Laurence G. Miller, Ronald S. OremlandBioremediation in fractured rock: 1. Modeling to inform design, monitoring, and expectations
Field characterization of a trichloroethene (TCE) source area in fractured mudstones produced a detailed understanding of the geology, contaminant distribution in fractures and the rock matrix, and hydraulic and transport properties. Groundwater flow and chemical transport modeling that synthesized the field characterization information proved critical for designing bioremediation of the source arAuthorsClaire R. Tiedeman, Allen M. Shapiro, Paul A. Hsieh, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Daniel J. Goode, Pierre Lacombe, Mary F. DeFlaun, Scott R. Drew, Carole D. Johnson, John H. Williams, Gary P. CurtisBioremediation in fractured rock: 2. Mobilization of chloroethene compounds from the rock matrix
A mass balance is formulated to evaluate the mobilization of chlorinated ethene compounds (CE) from the rock matrix of a fractured mudstone aquifer under pre- and postbioremediation conditions. The analysis relies on a sparse number of monitoring locations and is constrained by a detailed description of the groundwater flow regime. Groundwater flow modeling developed under the site characterizatioAuthorsAllen M. Shapiro, Claire R. Tiedeman, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Daniel J. Goode, Paul A. Hsieh, Pierre Lacombe, Mary F. DeFlaun, Scott R. Drew, Gary P. CurtisDetection of diazotrophy in the acetylene-fermenting anaerobe Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93
Acetylene (C2H2) is a trace constituent of the present Earth's oxidizing atmosphere, reflecting a mixture of terrestrial and marine emissions from anthropogenic, biomass-burning, and unidentified biogenic sources. Fermentation of acetylene was serendipitously discovered during C2H2 block assays of N2O reductase, and Pelobacter acetylenicus was shown to grow on C2H2 via acetylene hydratase (AH). AHAuthorsDenise M. Akob, Shaun Baesman, John M. Sutton, Janna L. Fierst, Adam Mumford, Yesha Shrestha, Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Stacy C. Bennett, Darren S. Dunlap, Karl B. Haase, Ronald S. OremlandPorosity and pore size distribution in a sedimentary rock: Implications for the distribution of chlorinated solvents
Characterizing properties of the rock matrix that control retention and release of chlorinated solvents is essential in evaluating the extent of contamination and the application of remediation technologies in fractured rock. Core samples from seven closely spaced boreholes in a mudstone subject to trichloroethene (TCE) contamination were analyzed using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry to investigateAuthorsAllen M. Shapiro, Chrsitopher E. Evans, Erin C. Hayes - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.