Surface-water and Groundwater Interaction at Air Force Plant 4 Active
The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center is monitoring sediment, surface-water, and groundwater properties at Air Force Plant 4.
Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, in Fort Worth, Texas, constitute a contractor-owned, government-operated facility that has been in operation since 1942. The USGS and other federal, state, and private agencies have been monitoring ground water, surface water, and water quality conditions since 1996. Data collected from the 3,600-acre facility indicate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals, have entered parts of the ground-water-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites and from manufacturing processes. Since detection, remedial actions have been conducted to prevent human and ecological exposure. Potential pathways are being managed by institutional controls. To ensure safety, long-term monitoring programs have been implemented to monitor sediment, surface-water, and groundwater properties at the site.
► Learn More at the Water Monitoring at Air Force Plant 4 Website
Hydrogeologic Setting
Three hydrogeologic units—from land surface downward, the alluvial aquifer, the Goodland-Walnut confining unit, and the Paluxy aquifer—compose the subsurface of interest at the site. The alluvial aquifer consists primarily of clay and silt with sand and gravel channel deposits that might be interconnected or interfingered. The Goodland-Walnut confining unit directly underlies the alluvial aquifer and consists of limestone, marl, shale, and clay. The Paluxy aquifer is composed of dense mudstone and fine- to coarse-grained sandstone.
Recent USGS Activities
Continuous groundwater gages at 2 locations
Surface-water data collection along Meandering Road Creek and Farmers Branch Creek during 4 measurement events to support ongoing surface-water/groundwater interaction studies.
Borehole geophysical data collection at 7 deep groundwater wells to confirm well construction and casing integrity and to improve the understanding of hydrogeologic structure and hydraulic properties of the site.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls in suspended-sediment samples from outfalls to Meandering Road Creek at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003-08
Polychlorinated biphenyls in aquatic invertebrates and fish and observations about nitrogen and carbon isotope composition in relation to trophic structure and bioaccumulation patterns, Lake Worth and Meandering Road Creek, Fort Worth, Texas, 2007-08
Degree of contamination and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls in Meandering Road Creek and Woods Inlet of Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, 2004 and 2006-07
Subsurface occurrence and potential source areas of chlorinated ethenes identified using concentrations and concentration ratios, Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Geodatabase of environmental information for Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas, 1990-2004
Distribution and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls in Woods Inlet, Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003
Development of a geodatabase and conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units beneath air force plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Overview--Development of a geodatabase and conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units beneath Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Lake Worth bottom sediments : A chronicle of water-quality changes in western Fort Worth, Texas, 1914-2001
Analyses and estimates of hydraulic conductivity from slug tests in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Spatial distribution and trends in trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls in Lake Worth sediment, Fort Worth, Texas
Subsurface evaluation of the west parking lot and landfill 3 areas of Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, using two-dimensional direct-current resistivity profiling
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center is monitoring sediment, surface-water, and groundwater properties at Air Force Plant 4.
Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, in Fort Worth, Texas, constitute a contractor-owned, government-operated facility that has been in operation since 1942. The USGS and other federal, state, and private agencies have been monitoring ground water, surface water, and water quality conditions since 1996. Data collected from the 3,600-acre facility indicate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals, have entered parts of the ground-water-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites and from manufacturing processes. Since detection, remedial actions have been conducted to prevent human and ecological exposure. Potential pathways are being managed by institutional controls. To ensure safety, long-term monitoring programs have been implemented to monitor sediment, surface-water, and groundwater properties at the site.
► Learn More at the Water Monitoring at Air Force Plant 4 Website
Hydrogeologic Setting
Three hydrogeologic units—from land surface downward, the alluvial aquifer, the Goodland-Walnut confining unit, and the Paluxy aquifer—compose the subsurface of interest at the site. The alluvial aquifer consists primarily of clay and silt with sand and gravel channel deposits that might be interconnected or interfingered. The Goodland-Walnut confining unit directly underlies the alluvial aquifer and consists of limestone, marl, shale, and clay. The Paluxy aquifer is composed of dense mudstone and fine- to coarse-grained sandstone.
Recent USGS Activities
Continuous groundwater gages at 2 locations
Surface-water data collection along Meandering Road Creek and Farmers Branch Creek during 4 measurement events to support ongoing surface-water/groundwater interaction studies.
Borehole geophysical data collection at 7 deep groundwater wells to confirm well construction and casing integrity and to improve the understanding of hydrogeologic structure and hydraulic properties of the site.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 16Polychlorinated Biphenyls in suspended-sediment samples from outfalls to Meandering Road Creek at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003-08
Meandering Road Creek is an intermittent stream and tributary to Lake Worth, a reservoir on the West Fork Trinity River on the western edge of Fort Worth, Texas. U.S. Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) is on the eastern shore of Woods Inlet, an arm of Lake Worth. Meandering Road Creek gains inflow from several stormwater outfalls as it flows across AFP4. Several studies have characterized polychlorinated biAuthorsChristopher L. Braun, Jennifer T. WilsonPolychlorinated biphenyls in aquatic invertebrates and fish and observations about nitrogen and carbon isotope composition in relation to trophic structure and bioaccumulation patterns, Lake Worth and Meandering Road Creek, Fort Worth, Texas, 2007-08
During 2007-08 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, evaluated the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in aquatic invertebrates and fish from one site in the main body of Lake Worth, two sites in a small inlet in Lake Worth (upper and lower Woods Inlet), and one site in Meandering Road Creek in Fort Worth, Texas. The four sites sampled during 2007-08 werAuthorsJ. Bruce MoringDegree of contamination and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls in Meandering Road Creek and Woods Inlet of Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, 2004 and 2006-07
Lake Worth is a reservoir on the West Fork Trinity River on the western edge of Fort Worth, Texas. Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) is on the eastern shore of Woods Inlet, an arm of Lake Worth that extends south from the main body of the lake. Two previous reports documented elevated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in surficial sediment in Woods Inlet relative to those in surficial sedimentAuthorsChristopher L. Braun, Jennifer T. Wilson, Peter C. Van MetreSubsurface occurrence and potential source areas of chlorinated ethenes identified using concentrations and concentration ratios, Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center, Environmental Management Directorate, conducted a study during 2003-05 to characterize the subsurface occurrence and identify potential source areas of the volatile organic compounds classified as chlorinated ethenes at U.S. Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base CarsAuthorsC. Amanda GarciaGeodatabase of environmental information for Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas, 1990-2004
Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base (NAS-JRB) at Fort Worth, Tex., constitute a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility that has been in operation since 1942. Contaminants from the facility, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals, have entered the groundwater-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites (landfills and piAuthorsSachin D. Shah, Sean M. QuigleyDistribution and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls in Woods Inlet, Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003
Woods Inlet is a flooded stream channel on the southern shore of Lake Worth along the western boundary of Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, where elevated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in sediment were detected in a previous study. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, conducted a study in 2003 to map the extent of elevated PCB conceAuthorsRichard E. Besse, Peter C. Van Metre, Jennifer T. WilsonDevelopment of a geodatabase and conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units beneath air force plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Air Force Plant 4 and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field at Fort Worth, Texas, constitute a government-owned, contractor-operated facility that has been in operation since 1942. Contaminants from AFP4, primarily volatile organic compounds and metals, have entered the ground-water-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites and from manufacturing processes. The UAuthorsSachin D. ShahOverview--Development of a geodatabase and conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units beneath Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB) at Fort Worth, Tex., constitute a contractor-owned, government-operated facility that has been in operation since 1942. Contaminants from the 3,600-acre facility, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals, have entered the ground-water-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sitAuthorsSachin D. ShahLake Worth bottom sediments : A chronicle of water-quality changes in western Fort Worth, Texas, 1914-2001
In spring 2000, the Texas Department of Health issued a fish-consumption advisory for Lake Worth, Tex., because of elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish (Texas Department of Health, 2000). In response to the advisory and in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected 21 surficial samples and three deeper gravity core samples from tAuthorsChristopher L. Braun, Glenn R. HarwellAnalyses and estimates of hydraulic conductivity from slug tests in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas
This report describes the collection, analyses, and distribution of hydraulic-conductivity data obtained from slug tests completed in the alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas, during October 2002 and August 2003 and summarizes previously available hydraulic-conductivity data. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperatAuthorsNatalie A. Houston, Christopher L. BraunSpatial distribution and trends in trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls in Lake Worth sediment, Fort Worth, Texas
In spring 2000, the Texas Department of Health issued a fish consumption advisory for Lake Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, because of elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish. In response to the advisory and in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Geological Survey collected 21 surficial sediment samples and three gravity core sediment samples to assess the spatialAuthorsGlenn Richard Harwell, Peter C. Van Metre, Jennifer T. Wilson, Barbara MahlerSubsurface evaluation of the west parking lot and landfill 3 areas of Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, using two-dimensional direct-current resistivity profiling
During September 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey made 10 two-dimensional direct-current resistivity profile surveys in the west parking lot and landfill 3 areas of Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, to identify subsurface areas of anomalously high or low resistivity that could indicate potential contamination, contaminant pathways, or anthropogenic structures. Six of the 10 surveys (transects)AuthorsChristopher L. Braun, Sonya A. Jones - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.