International Journal of Soil: Volume 3, Issue 2
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2010-01-01
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Berry's Creek: A Glance Backward and a Look Forward
Wright, Victoria A.; Blauvelt, Robert P.
Berry’s Creek is a tidal tributary in Bergen County, New Jersey between the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, which extends almost seven miles from its discharge into the Hackensack River upstream towards its origins just south of Teterboro Airport (Figure 1). The approximately 12 square miles of the Berry’s Creek watershed (about 8% of the total Hackensack River watershed) includes numerous marshes, channels, wetlands, and drainage ditches that serve as habitat to hundreds of plant and animal species (USEPA et al., 2005). Widely recognized as one of the keys to the sustained ecological viability of the Meadowlands, Berry’s Creek and its associated canals also hold the distinction of being one of the most contaminated waterways in northeastern U.S (USEPA, 2008a).In 1929 the F.W. Berk Company (later known as the Wood-Ridge Chemical Company) opened its doors as a mercury reclamation and recovery center. This facility would process spent or off-spec fungicides, pesticides, batteries, thermometers, dental amalgams, and other mercury containing wastes and remove or recover the mercury for re-sale or reformulation into new products (USEPA, 2006). By 1974, when operations at its 40-acre site ceased, the plant had changed owners and names several times and some estimates have indicated that up to 270 tons of mercury could have been discharged into portions of Berry’s Creek, but the actual amount of mercury released from point sources on the Creek is unknown (i.e., could be more or less). Based on one study, at its peak operation, between two to four pounds of mercury were being released into Berry’s Creek every day (NJDEP, 1992). Additional investigations are ongoing that will provide further data on the validity of these estimates. In 2005, USEPA completed its Framework Document for Berry’s Creek (USEPA et al., 2005), which attempts to establish the guidelines for the characterization and investigation of the mercury and other heavy metal contamination present in Berry’s Creek sediments. Critical to the success and effectiveness of these upcoming characterization activities is an understanding of not only how the contaminants were released but also the most probable (and implementable) remedial alternatives available for the waterway. Our presentation provides both a historical perspective on the discharges into Berry’s Creek and establishes an ecological framework in which to consider and carryout future cleanup actions.
ASSESSMENT OF STREAM FISH MORTALITY FROM SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE TO ILLITE CLAYS USED AS AN IN SITU METHOD FOR REMEDIATING 137CS CONTAMINATED WETLANDS
Koo, Bon-Jun; Fletcher, Dean E.; Hinton, Thomas G.; Barton, Christopher D.; Matsumoto, Mark R.; Teune, Amanda M.; Kaplan, Daniel I.
Due to their physical properties, illite clays can sorb cesium-137 almost irreversibly, and therefore sequester contamination from the environment. However, applying large amounts of clay to natural aquatic habitats for in situ remediation purposes may create conditions of high turbidity and sedimentation. To evaluate potential effects of turbidity from illite application on survivorship of stream fish, yellowfin shiners (Notropis lutipinnis) and tessellated darters (Etheostoma olmstedi) were subjected to treatment with two different types of clay in flow-through simulated stream raceways. Turbidity and fish mortality were subsequently monitored for seven days. At 2-m downstream from the application point, mean turbidity peaked during clay application at 525 and 72 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) in the air-floated illite and semi-dry illite treatments, respectively. Turbidity returned to levels similar to that of the controls (4-6 NTU) after four hours in the air-floated illite raceways and one hour in the semi-dry illite raceways. Although the majority of the suspended clay was quickly flushed from the system and the remaining settled to the bottom, turbidity did continue to fluctuate because of fish movements and sediment resuspension. Fish mortality did not significantly differ among control and illite treated raceways.
Geographic Information System Application to the Problem of Predicting Indoor Radon Concentrations
Mose, Douglas G; Siaway, George; Metcalf, Jim
It would be extremely useful to determine if, on a county-size scale, there might be some predictability to indoor radon. One approach is to make an application of GIS and 3D visualization to explore the radon problem in Fairfax County in northern Virginia, to evaluate correlations between indoor radon and geology, elevation, slope, and aeroradioactivity. It was found that there is a tendency for indoor radon to be greater in some parts of Fairfax County in homes on some geological units, in homes constructed on lower slopes, on sites at lower elevations, and in areas of higher aeroradioactivity. However, none of these physical variables exhibits a strong enough control on indoor radon to be used to construct radon potential maps that carry a high confidence of accuracy.
An Ecological Risk-Based Cleanup Strategy for Contaminated Sediments in a Freshwater Brook
McArdle, Margaret E; Kane Driscoll, Susan B; Booth, Pieter N.
An ecological risk-based approach was used to define the extent of remediation in a brook adjacent to a former manufacturing and assembly plant. Sediment, soil, and surface water contained concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides above sediment quality benchmarks. Samples of sediment were analyzed for metals, 34 individual PAHs, phthalates, PCBs, pesticides, total organic carbon, black carbon, and sediment toxicity using the 42-day Hyalella azteca toxicity test. In addition, freely dissolved concentrations of PAHs in pore water from a subset of samples were determined using a solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique. Concentrations of freely dissolved PAHs in pore water and bioavailable PAHs in sediment were below levels of concern for aquatic organisms. Further evaluations indicated that lead was the contaminant most closely associated with sediment toxicity. A site-specific sediment cleanup level for lead in sediment was developed to define areas for sediment removal in the brook. Using the site-specific sediment cleanup level for lead resulted in a substantially smaller remediation footprint in the brook (24,434 ft2; 2,270 m2) than that originally proposed (64,799 ft2; 6,020 m2) based on exceedance of sediment quality benchmarks.
Atrazine Biodegradation in a Cisne Soil Exposed to a Major Spill
Shaffer, Elizabeth; Sims, Gerald; Cupples, Alison; Smyth, Charles; Chee-Sanford, Joanne; Skinner, Andrea
Conventional soil tests, culture-based microbial methods, and the novel method of 15N-DNA stable isotope probing (SIP) were employed to illustrate atrazine biodegradation as related to the physiochemical properties of an atrazine-exposed Cisne soil. The soil exhibited enhanced atrazine degradation and apparently accumulated cyanuric acid. The soil showed elevated ambient concentrations of NO3-; however NO3- did not suppress atrazine degradation. Atrazine natural attenuation was limited by incomplete distribution through the unsaturated soil matrix. Approximately four moles of inorganic N derived from atrazine were detected for each mole of atrazine carbon mineralized, indicating that at least 80% of the atrazine N was released (less than 20% assimilated). 15N-DNA- SIP experiments were conducted using15N (ring)- and 15N-ethylamino-atrazine. The results of these experiments failed to establish a causal relationship between in-situ atrazine-degradation and enrichment of DNA associated with soil microorganisms. These results are likely due to isotopic dilution, either as a result of insufficient 15N assimilation or competition by other N sources. Further experiments using 13C-ethyl/isoproylamino-atrazine may yet establish the identities of organisms responsible for enhanced natural attenuation exhibited in the Cisne soil.