Direct Push Monitoring Point Assessment

Abstract

Abstract : Beginning late in 1996, the Air Force Research Laboratory undertook the first phase of a long-term program to compare the performance of direct push monitoring wells with that of conventionally-installed wells for long-term groundwater monitoring of corrective action sites. On average, long term monitoring accounts for nearly a third of the life cycle cost of corrective action. Wells emplaced using direct push technology have been shown to be less costly to install than conventional, auger-drilled wells. However, their use for long-term monitoring does not yet enjoy widespread regulatory acceptance. The goals of the project reported here were to (a) emplace 40 or more direct push wells in proximity to, and paired with, conventional auger-drilled wells at an Air Force corrective action site, matching well construction details as closely as practical, (b) to collect and analyze samples from both well types in the matched pairs on two separate occasions for laboratory analysis of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in groundwater, and (c) to determine whether any statistically significant difference in the outcome of the VOC analyses resulted from the difference in installation method of the wells.