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Arsenic Fate And Transport In Red Cove, Fort Devens
Citation:
BRANDON, B., G. LOMBARDO, R. G. FORD, K. G. SCHECKEL, S. D. ACREE, B. K. LIEN, R. R. ROSS, P. J. CLARK, AND T. LUXTON. Arsenic Fate And Transport In Red Cove, Fort Devens. Presented at Office Of Site Remediation & Restoration Techical Exchange Forum, Boston, MA, May 14, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
To evaluate the impact of a discharging arsenic plume on sediment contamination in a cove (Red Cove) within Plow Shop Pond adjacent to Shepley's Hill Landfill at the Fort Devens Superfund Site in Massachusetts.
Description:
A field investigation was conducted to evaluate the impact of a discharging arsenic plume on sediment contamination in a cove (Red Cove) within Plow Shop Pond adjacent to Shepley's Hill Landfill at the Fort Devens Superfund Site in Massachusetts. Site characterization included assessment of the hydrologic and chemical characteristics of plume discharge and the chemical speciation of arsenic in aqueous and sediment samples collected throughout the groundwater/surface water (GW/SW) transition zone. Assessment of relationships between surface water chemistry and sediment geochemistry relative to the spatial distribution of plume discharge within the cove indicated that elevated concentrations of ferrous iron and arsenic in deep surface water were derived from a combination of direct groundwater discharge and dissolution of As-bearing iron oxyhydroxides that settle out from the water column. These findings established the link between the arsenic plume underlying Shepley's Hill Landfill and sediment contamination in Red Cove and have prompted the site owner to initiate a Remedial Investigation in Plow Shop Pond. The lessons learned and methods employed for site characterization at this site can also be used to facilitate investigations at other sites where groundwater is a potential source of sediment contamination. This is an abstract of a propsed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.