[Home]
Final September 2002 On-Post Quarterly Groundwater Monitoring Report
Table 4-2 - Groundwater Natural Attenuation Parameters
| Parameter | Relevance |
| Field Analysis (Hach� methods) | |
| Alkalinity | Used to measure the groundwater buffering capacity. Estimates the amount of CO2 produced during biodegradation process. |
| Carbon Dioxide | Metabolic byproduct of aerobic respiration, indicating its occurrence. Can also be used as an electron acceptor during anaerobic respiration. |
| Iron | Indication of anaerobic respiration due to oxygen, nitrate, and manganese depletion. |
| Hydrogen Sulfide | Predicts the possibility of reductive dechlorination through determination of terminal electron accepting process. |
| Manganese | Decreases in levels in anaerobic respiration. |
| Nitrate | A substrate for microbial use if oxygen is depleted. |
| Nitrite | A substrate for microbial use if oxygen is depleted. |
| Sulfate | A substrate for microbial use if oxygen is depleted. |
| (Direct Readings) | |
| pH | Aerobic and anaerobic microbial processes are pH sensitive. A pH range of 5-9 is generally amenable to bioremediation. |
| Conductivity | Water quality parameter used to determine site data is obtained from same groundwater system. |
| Redox Potential | Redox potential of groundwater influences and is influenced by the nature of the biodegradation of the contaminants. Can be used to determine which bioremediation process is being utilized. Positive redox potentials correlate to more efficient bioremediation processes. |
| Dissolved Oxygen | Utilized by microbes as an electron acceptor while undergoing aerobic respiration. Concentrations under 1 mg/L indicate anaerobic respiration. |
| Temperature | Used in well development. |
| Laboratory Analysis (Microbial Insights, STL) | |
| Volatile Fatty Acids | Appearance is unequivocal evidence that biodegradation, through oxidation, has occurred. |
| Phospholipid Fatty Acids | Contains general information about the phylogenetic identity and physiological status of microbes, and identifies types of microbes present and how they react to environmental factors. |
| Dissolved Hydrogen | Determines the electron accepting process and predicts the possibility for reductive dechlorination. |
| Methane | Presence suggests biodegradation or organic carbon through methanogenesis. |
| Chloride | The final product in the reduction of chlorinated solvents. |