irp manager’s workshop · 2/20/2020 · why is the usgs bgs study important? the bgs study is...
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www.HinkleyGroundwater.com | www.ProjectNavigator.com | www.SafetyMoment.org
HINKLEY GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION PROJECT
IRP Manager’s Workshop: Review of the USGS BGS Draft Report
Prepared for
Hinkley Community Prepared by
IRP Manager’s Staff: Dr. Raudel Sanchez Mr. Anthony Vu Ms. Margaret DeAngelis Ms. Lorena Barahona Dr. Ian A. Webster
February 20, 2020 At IRP Manager’s Office
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What is the USGS Cr(VI) Background Study?
The USGS Cr(VI) Background Study will determine the natural
Cr(VI) levels in groundwater in the Hinkley Valley
The Study will determine the differences between natural and
man-made Cr(VI) at specific locations
Below is a timeline of the BGS
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2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
BGS Preplanning Stage
Mid-term report
Final report
Interpretation of data and draft report
Field sampling
Draft report
Review of
draft report
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Why is the USGS BGS Study Important?
The BGS Study is important because it will
establish background chromium levels in
groundwater
The Water Board will decide on how to use the
BGS results for the groundwater cleanup
program
These background chromium levels may effect
the time it takes to achieve the Water Board’s
Remedial Targets 3
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How Do Metals Naturally Migrate Into Groundwater?
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How do metals migrate into groundwater?
Precipitation
Rainfall, which infiltrates the ground, can leach metals from soil
Water with leached metals migrates vertically into groundwater
Metals move with groundwater flow
Metals can be detected in groundwater wells
Native rock and soils contain
metals. Metals leach from soils
and rock into groundwater.
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Distribution of Near-Surface Soils Containing Total Chromium in California.
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What are the Study Areas in the USGS BGS.
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What are the BGS Tasks and Their Purpose?
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Task Purpose
Task 1: Evaluation of existing data Identify areas near the mapped Cr(VI) plume having water-quality of concern to the study
Task 2: Analyses of rock and
alluvium
Determine if there are naturally-occurring geologic sources of chromium in the area, and if
these sources are contributing Cr(VI) to groundwater
Task 3: Analyses of chemical and
environmental tracers in
water from wells.
Determine the chemical, and isotopic (including other environmental tracers) composition of
water from selected wells throughout the study area—with respect to: 1) the sources and
chemical processes controlling Cr(VI) occurrence, and 2) the source, movement, and age of
the groundwater relative to the timing of Cr(VI) releases from the PG&E compressor station.
Task 4: Evaluation of local
hydrogeologic conditions.
Determine how differences in local geohydrology within the western, northern (including
Water Valley), and eastern (Including the plume and upgradient area) subareas influence the
natural occurrence of Cr(VI) in groundwater, and the movement of anthropogenic (man-
made) Cr(VI) from the compressor station.
Task 5: Evaluation of groundwater
movement Evaluate how changing hydrologic conditions in the study area through time influence the
movement of water and Cr(VI) through aquifers underlying Hinkley and Water Valleys.
Task 6: Evaluation of the
occurrence of natural and
anthropogenic Cr(VI).
Identify areas within the aquifer containing man-made Cr(VI) from releases at the PG&E
compressor station, and areas that contain Cr(VI) from other sources
Task 7: Estimation of background
Cr(VI) concentrations Estimate background Cr(VI) in parts of the study area not affected by discharges from the
PG&E compressor station
Task 8: Fate of chromium during
and after in-situ reduction Determine if chromium within the IRZ is permanently removed from solution
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Question: How were the Background Numbers Determined? Answer: The Use the Summative Scale Analysis (SSA) Approach
1. Collect groundwater
samples at specific
locations
2. Samples taken to labs
for complete analysis
3. Interpretation of all
background data by
the USGS
4. Use Summative Scale
questionnaire to score
each well
5. Sum up the score for
each well and identify the
source of Cr(VI)
6. Update plume
boundaries based on
results from SSA and
calculate background
levels
7. Internal review by USGS 8. Final BGS Report issued
by USGS
Questions +1 -1
Man-made Natural
1. Are geologic material at the well
screen fine grained?
2. Do geologic materials at the well
screen abundant chromium?
3.
Do geologic materials at the well
screen contain abundant
manganese?
….
7.
Was water from the well
recharged from the Mojave
River?
8.
Does water from the well contain
some fraction of “modern” water
recharged?
Highly Confident Man-made
Highly Confident Natural Confident Man-made
Confident Natural
Well 1
Well 2
Well 3
Well 4
Well 90
SSA Final Score
LEGEND ? 8
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What are the Summative Scale Analysis Questions?
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Questions Data Source
Question 1: Are geologic materials at the well screen fine-textured (predominately silt or finer)?
USGS lithologic descriptions of core material (PG&E lithologic descriptions from well logs or drillers logs used if core material was not available)
Question 2: Do geologic materials at the well screen contain more than 85 mg/kg chromium?
Portable (handheld) x-ray flouresence (HXRF) measurements of core material
Question 3: Do geologic materials at the well screen contain more than 970 mg/kg manganese?
Portable (handheld) x-ray flouresence (HXRF) measurements of core material
Question 4: Are Cr(VI) concentrations trended with time? Regulatory Cr(VI) data collected between July 2012 and June 2017, interpreted with Kendall's Tau
Question 5: Is there an excess of Cr(VI) with respect to pH, with the probability of natural Cr(VI) occurrence at the measured pH less than 30 percent?
pH-dependent sorption evaluated on the basis of pH and Cr(VI) concentrations in California-wide GAMA data
Question 6: Is there an excess of Cr(VI) with respect to other trace elements?
Principal component analyses (PCA) of Cr(VI), arsenic, vanadium, uranium, iron, and manganese
Question 7: Was the water recharged from the Mojave River?
delta Oxygen-18, d18O, and delta deuterium, dD,data
Question 8: Does the water contain some fraction of "modern" water?
Tritium, helium-3, helium-4, carbon-14, carbon-13, chlourofluorocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-12, and CFC-113), and sulfur hexafluoride data
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Technical Working Group (TWG) Met Frequently over the Course of the USGS BGS to Ensure the Study’s Integrity and Transparency.
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Hinkley Residences Had the Opportunity to have their Wells Sampled as Part of the USGS BGS.
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Hinkley Community Members were Invited to Learn How Groundwater was Sampled During the BGS Fieldwork.
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USGS Completed NMR Geophysics Field Work to Estimate Water Content, Pore Size, and Permeability.
NMR Probe
NMR Probe
USGS Staff placing an NMR probe inside a well casing to collect data.
Generator used to power USGS equipment for NMR system. USGS NMR system
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Photo shows the CPT probe field work completed during May. Monitor shows real-time results of the CPT probe.
View under the CPT truck showing the probe through the subsurface. View of work truck housing the CPT probe.
As Part of the USGS BGS, Cone Penetration Test (CPT) Field Work was Done.
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USGS Staff Discussing Preliminary Results from the Boroscope Logs
with the IRP Manager Team.
Image shows the Boroscope conduit inside of a monitoring well. The
Boroscope probe is placed inside the monitoring wells at different
depths and provides groundwater direction at that specific depth.
Ancillary data used to guide collection of the boroscope work.
Close up view of monitoring well.
USGS Completed Boroscope Field Work in 2017. This Information Provided Groundwater Velocity and Directions at Specific Monitoring Wells.
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USGS Staff giving a Tour at the Menlo Park Facility showing how Task 8 was completed.
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What is Groundwater Age-Dating and How Will It Be Applied to Determine the Cr(VI) Background Number(s)?
Groundwater Age-Dating is the identification and
measurements of industrial chemicals we call,
Environmental Tracers, to determine when water
might have been recharged into aquifers. Typical
Environmental Tracers include carbon-14, chlorides,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), tritium, and sulfur
hexafluoride (SF6).
Groundwater Age is determined by identifying and
measuring the levels of Environmental Tracers taken
from groundwater samples. (See chart to the right)
As part of the USGS Background Study, Environmental
Tracers and the use a Computer Groundwater Model
are two methods that will be used to determine the age
of groundwater throughout the Hinkley Valley. Cr(VI)
discharges occurred in the 1950’s and 1960’s, making
Environmental Tracers a method of identifying Cr(VI)
impacted groundwater during the release period ideal.
The USGS plans to identify Old and Young
Groundwater. Young Groundwater is considered to be
groundwater with human impact recharge since about
1950, while Old Groundwater recharged the aquifers
before 1950 and generally do not exhibit any significant
human impact.
Tritium was introduced into the atmosphere by the US
Nuclear Testing Program in the 1950’s and early
1960’s and is used to identify young water. Old water
can be identified by argon, carbon-14 and other
environmental tracers.
Mojave River
Environmental
Tracers absorbed by
rain
Over time, Environmental
Tracers recharge from the
Mojave River into the
aquifer
Aquifer
Clay Layer
High Desert Residents
Vegetation
Concentrations of Environmental Tracers in the atmosphere
during the period 1940-2000. These Environmental Tracers are
used to determine the age of groundwater.
Tritium
CFCs
SF6
Time 1
Time 2
Time 3 Time 4
Today’s sampling in
the BGS will estimate
the age of
groundwater at
specific well locations.
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Timeline Showing Cr(VI) Release Period and Significant Recharge Events from the Last Several Decades.
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Domestic and Monitoring Wells in the Hinkley Valley.
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PG&E’s Installation of Monitoring Wells Over Time.
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Monitoring Locations Sampled as Part of the USGS BGS.
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Statistical Analysis was Completed to Identify Cr(VI) Increasing, Decreasing, and Stable Cr(VI) Trends.
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Understanding the pH Distribution in Groundwater.
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What is Cr(VI) Occurrence at the Measured pH in Groundwater?
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What is the Source of Groundwater for the Hinkley Valley?
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Question: What do Environmental Tracers Tell Us? Answer: Tracer are Like a Timestamp for when Water Recharges into the Aquifer.
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Concentrations of Trace-elements in Core Material.
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Question: How is the Age of Groundwater Determined? Answer: Age is Determined by Accumulative Tracer Data.
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Deep Wells Shallow Wells
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Question: Why is Carbon-14 Important? Answer: Carbon-14 is a Tracer Used to Identify Old Water.
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Location of USGS Geophysical Sampling.
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Flow Direction of Wells Near the Mojave River.
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Conclusions
The USGS Cr(VI) BGS was a 5-Year Study to identify and
calculate Background Cr(VI) levels
The USGS BGS Study was transparent and allowed the
feedback from all key stakeholders
The USGS BGS work was conducted with a high
scientific standard
The BGS Draft Report is currently under the USGS
Review Process
Final Report is Anticipated to be released to the Public
in 2020 32