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STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER GEOCHEMISTRY DATA FROM AREA 6, DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DOVER, DELAWARE
Citation:
Barnes, D. J., M. W. Holmes, P. Morgan, M. J. Bell, G. M. Klecka, D. E. Ellis, T. A. Ei, AND E. J. Lutz. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER GEOCHEMISTRY DATA FROM AREA 6, DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DOVER, DELAWARE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-01/036 (NTIS PB2001-108606), 2001.
Description:
The work described in this report is part of a project undertaken by the Bioremediation of Chlorinated Solvents Action Team of the Remediation Technologies Development Forum, a joint U.S. Federal agency-industry collaboration, to study the natural attenuation of chlorinated ethenes in the groundwater in Area 6 of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, USA. The purpose of this part of the study was to evaluate the use of statistical techniques to aid the interpretation of complex environmental data sets. The authors applied a variety of appropriate statistical methods to data sets from Area 6 of Dover Air Force Base in order to extract information regarding the natural attenuation of the chloroethenes. The results of this study show that statistical techniques, correctly applied, are capable of evaluating the complex data sets obtained when monitoring natural attenuation processes in the subsurface. This study also shows the importance of applying appropriate statistical methods throughout the duration of the study. Statistical methods can make a significant contribution to the formulation of an optimum sampling scheme at the outset of a study as well as to the development of conceptual models at various stages of the monitoring process. While the primary emphasis in this study was on the application of statistical methods to contaminant concentration data, the study also showed that the use of geostatistical methods to better understand site geology can significantly improve the overall quality of the study results. The use of statistical methods to place confidence limits on the predicted concentration parameters, in both space and time, can only lead to improved interpretations of the results and ultimately a clearer understanding of the characteristics of natural attenuation processes.