Abstract
ABSTRACT
A methodology is presented for assessing the impact of the finite leaching characteristics of soils and oily wastes on the dilution and attenuation of contaminants in groundwater. The effect of source depletion with time is characterized in terms of a simple correction factor that can be multiplied by a dilution attenuation factor (DAF) for an infinite source. It is shown using an analytical groundwater model with an exponentially decaying source where the correction factor to the infinite source DAF can be described by a simple dimensionless source decay constant that can be conveniently separated into two parameters: one that accounts for the leaching properties of a specific waste/contaminant, and a second parameter that accounts for the transport characteristics associated with a specific land disposal unit. This approach can be used for correcting infinite source DAFs for specific wastes and specific sites. It has application for determining whether a given waste should be hazardous, and also for setting acceptable levels for chemicals in soils at contaminated sites based on the risk of contaminant migration to groundwater.
Key words:
hazardous waste; risk assessment; petroleum hydrocarbons; groundwater contamination; leaching
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