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Contaminants in Groundwater near Superfund sites in Pennsylvania

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By Pennsylvania Water Science Center December 31, 2024

USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of Superfund and other hazardous-waste sites in Pennsylvania, in cooperation with EPA. Additional cooperative support has been provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, and local government agencies.

Highlights

  • Many Superfund sites in southeastern Pennsylvania are underlain by Newark Basin fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, which historically have been used for industrial and drinking-water supply
  • Field testing characterized the highly heterogeneous and anisotropic strata showing the predominant role of dipping bed-oriented fractures in contaminant migration
  • Measured water levels in wells were used to construct water-level maps, and aquifer testing revealed high-permeability hydraulic connections between wells
  • Groundwater-flow models were developed based on synthesis of monitoring data and field-test results for selected sites
  • Simulations of transport paths were compared to observed contaminant distributions, and the simulated effect of changes in pumping on flow paths helped optimize pump and treat system operation
  • Areas contributing recharge to streams and discharging wells were mapped using the groundwater-flow models; as groundwater withdrawals in the area have decreased, a higher proportion of local recharge ultimately discharges to streams

 

USGS has also investigated groundwater contamination in sedimentary and carbonate aquifers near Philadelphia and in fractured-rock aquifers near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, EPA, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and others.

 

 

Media
map of Pennsylvania with colored dots, shading, and county outlines
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
National Priority List (NPL) Superfund sites in Pennsylvania. Map identifies sites where USGS cooperative studies are ongoing or have been completed as of October, 2023. (USGS, site locations from catalog.data.gov/dataset/npl-superfund-site-boundaries-epa)

 

No Result Found
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 44

Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Groundwater in the vicinity of several industrial facilities in Upper Gwynedd Township and vicinity, Montgomery County, in southeast Pennsylvania has been shown to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the most common of which is the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE). The 2-square-mile area was placed on the National Priorities List as the North Penn Area 7 Superfund site...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Daniel J. Goode
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Changes in groundwater flow and volatile organic compound concentrations at the Fischer and Porter Superfund Site, Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1993-2009 Changes in groundwater flow and volatile organic compound concentrations at the Fischer and Porter Superfund Site, Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1993-2009

The 38-acre Fischer and Porter Company Superfund Site is in Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pa. Historically, as part of the manufacturing process, trichloroethylene (TCE) degreasers were used for parts cleaning. In 1979, the Bucks County Health Department detected TCE and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water from the Fischer and Porter on-site supply wells and nearby...
Authors
Ronald A. Sloto
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Geophysical Logs, Specific Capacity, and Water Quality of Four Wells at Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) Property, North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 2006-07 Geophysical Logs, Specific Capacity, and Water Quality of Four Wells at Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) Property, North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 2006-07

As part of technical assistance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the remediation of properties on the North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site in Lansdale, Pa., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2006-07 collected data in four monitor wells at the Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) property. During this period, USGS collected and analyzed borehole geophysical and...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Philip H. Bird
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Evaluation of Water-Chemistry and Water-Level Data at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1991-2008 Evaluation of Water-Chemistry and Water-Level Data at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1991-2008

Several shutdown-rebound tests have been conducted at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, which has been on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List since 1984. For a given test, the extraction wells are turned off, and water samples are collected from selected monitor wells at regular intervals before and during cessation of pumping to monitor for changes in...
Authors
Ronald A. Sloto
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Geophysical Logs, Aquifer Tests, and Water Levels in Wells in and Near the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 2002-2006 Geophysical Logs, Aquifer Tests, and Water Levels in Wells in and Near the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 2002-2006

Ground water in the vicinity of several industrial facilities in Upper Gwynedd Township and Lansdale Borough, Montgomery County, Pa., is contaminated with several volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The 2-square-mile area was placed on the National Priorities List as the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 1989. The U.S. Geological...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Randall W. Conger, Philip H. Bird
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Simulation of ground-water flow and areas contributing recharge to extraction wells at the Drake Chemical Superfund Site, City of Lock Haven and Castanea Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania Simulation of ground-water flow and areas contributing recharge to extraction wells at the Drake Chemical Superfund Site, City of Lock Haven and Castanea Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania

Extensive remediation of the Drake Chemical Superfund Site has been ongoing since 1983. Contaminated soils were excavated and incinerated on site between 1996 and 1999. After 1999, remedial efforts focused on contaminated ground water. A ground-water remediation system was started in November 2000. The source area of the contaminated ground water was assumed to be the zone 1 area on the...
Authors
Curtis L. Schreffler
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. National Park Service U.S. National Park Service

USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of Superfund and other hazardous-waste sites in Pennsylvania, in cooperation with EPA. Additional cooperative support has been provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, and local government agencies.

Highlights

  • Many Superfund sites in southeastern Pennsylvania are underlain by Newark Basin fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, which historically have been used for industrial and drinking-water supply
  • Field testing characterized the highly heterogeneous and anisotropic strata showing the predominant role of dipping bed-oriented fractures in contaminant migration
  • Measured water levels in wells were used to construct water-level maps, and aquifer testing revealed high-permeability hydraulic connections between wells
  • Groundwater-flow models were developed based on synthesis of monitoring data and field-test results for selected sites
  • Simulations of transport paths were compared to observed contaminant distributions, and the simulated effect of changes in pumping on flow paths helped optimize pump and treat system operation
  • Areas contributing recharge to streams and discharging wells were mapped using the groundwater-flow models; as groundwater withdrawals in the area have decreased, a higher proportion of local recharge ultimately discharges to streams

 

USGS has also investigated groundwater contamination in sedimentary and carbonate aquifers near Philadelphia and in fractured-rock aquifers near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, EPA, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and others.

 

 

Media
map of Pennsylvania with colored dots, shading, and county outlines
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
National Priority List (NPL) Superfund sites in Pennsylvania. Map identifies sites where USGS cooperative studies are ongoing or have been completed as of October, 2023. (USGS, site locations from catalog.data.gov/dataset/npl-superfund-site-boundaries-epa)

 

No Result Found
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 44

Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Groundwater in the vicinity of several industrial facilities in Upper Gwynedd Township and vicinity, Montgomery County, in southeast Pennsylvania has been shown to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the most common of which is the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE). The 2-square-mile area was placed on the National Priorities List as the North Penn Area 7 Superfund site...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Daniel J. Goode
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Changes in groundwater flow and volatile organic compound concentrations at the Fischer and Porter Superfund Site, Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1993-2009 Changes in groundwater flow and volatile organic compound concentrations at the Fischer and Porter Superfund Site, Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1993-2009

The 38-acre Fischer and Porter Company Superfund Site is in Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pa. Historically, as part of the manufacturing process, trichloroethylene (TCE) degreasers were used for parts cleaning. In 1979, the Bucks County Health Department detected TCE and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water from the Fischer and Porter on-site supply wells and nearby...
Authors
Ronald A. Sloto
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Geophysical Logs, Specific Capacity, and Water Quality of Four Wells at Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) Property, North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 2006-07 Geophysical Logs, Specific Capacity, and Water Quality of Four Wells at Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) Property, North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 2006-07

As part of technical assistance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the remediation of properties on the North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site in Lansdale, Pa., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2006-07 collected data in four monitor wells at the Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) property. During this period, USGS collected and analyzed borehole geophysical and...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Philip H. Bird
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Evaluation of Water-Chemistry and Water-Level Data at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1991-2008 Evaluation of Water-Chemistry and Water-Level Data at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1991-2008

Several shutdown-rebound tests have been conducted at the Henderson Road Superfund Site, which has been on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List since 1984. For a given test, the extraction wells are turned off, and water samples are collected from selected monitor wells at regular intervals before and during cessation of pumping to monitor for changes in...
Authors
Ronald A. Sloto
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Geophysical Logs, Aquifer Tests, and Water Levels in Wells in and Near the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 2002-2006 Geophysical Logs, Aquifer Tests, and Water Levels in Wells in and Near the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 2002-2006

Ground water in the vicinity of several industrial facilities in Upper Gwynedd Township and Lansdale Borough, Montgomery County, Pa., is contaminated with several volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The 2-square-mile area was placed on the National Priorities List as the North Penn Area 7 Superfund Site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 1989. The U.S. Geological...
Authors
Lisa A. Senior, Randall W. Conger, Philip H. Bird
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Simulation of ground-water flow and areas contributing recharge to extraction wells at the Drake Chemical Superfund Site, City of Lock Haven and Castanea Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania Simulation of ground-water flow and areas contributing recharge to extraction wells at the Drake Chemical Superfund Site, City of Lock Haven and Castanea Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania

Extensive remediation of the Drake Chemical Superfund Site has been ongoing since 1983. Contaminated soils were excavated and incinerated on site between 1996 and 1999. After 1999, remedial efforts focused on contaminated ground water. A ground-water remediation system was started in November 2000. The source area of the contaminated ground water was assumed to be the zone 1 area on the...
Authors
Curtis L. Schreffler
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. National Park Service U.S. National Park Service

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