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INFLUENCE OF BACTERIAL ACTIVITY ON THE SPECIATION AND TRANSPORT OF ARSENIC ACROSS THE GROUND WATER-SURFACE WATER TRANSITION ZONE AT A CONTAMINATED SITE
Citation:
FORD, R. G., R. T. WILKIN, F. P. BECK, P. J. CLARK, J. T. CREED, AND P. A. CREED. INFLUENCE OF BACTERIAL ACTIVITY ON THE SPECIATION AND TRANSPORT OF ARSENIC ACROSS THE GROUND WATER-SURFACE WATER TRANSITION ZONE AT A CONTAMINATED SITE. Presented at 2005 American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, New Orleans, LA, May 23 - 27, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Field investigations have been conducted to understand the fate of arsenic in contaminated ground water during discharge into a small lake. The ground water plume contains elevated levels of arsenic and BTEX compounds derived from historical disposal of process wastes from upgradient industrial activities. A ground-water monitoring network was established in conjunction with the collection of surface water and sediment samples to establish the extent and characteristics of the zone of contaminant discharge into the small lake. Examination of the spatial patterns of specific conductance in ground water and surface water along with sediment characteristics have been used to develop a conceptual model of the biogeochemical processes controlling the speciation and transport of arsenic across the ground water-surface water transition zone. Patterns in specific conductance and sediment mineralogy point to the importance of bacterial iron and sulfate reduction processes. Spatial relationships between these indicator parameters and arsenic speciation in ground water at the point of plume discharge indicate that degradation of BTEX compounds and other hydrocarbons influence the ultimate fate of arsenic within the system.