Methods Development

Research at a 1979 crude oil spill from a ruptured pipeline has exposed and helped to overcome many challenges facing an effective, cost-efficient cleanup of crude oil, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have found. The environmental release of crude oil occurred near Bemidji, Minnesota.

A groundwater bioaugmentation field experiment, conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., and University of Toronto, Canada, scientists, demonstrates the effectiveness and potential weaknesses of this cleanup technology and provides guidance for improved design of bioaugmentation in fractured-rock aquifers. The experiment also demonstrates the benefits of advanced...

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists continue to develop and adapt new geophysical technologies and data analysis methods for monitoring the performance of remediation systems and for the characterization of contaminated sites. Geophysical monitoring methods are particularly adept at measuring changes in subsurface properties that relate to the presence of water, tracers, contaminants, and...