Failure of an industrial wastewater lagoon in a karst terrain and remedial action

Abstract

Failure of a wastewater lagoon, caused by development of a sinkhole underneath the lagoon at a site in the Lehigh River Valley near Allentown, Pennsylvania, allowed waste water to enter into the underlying karstified carbonate aquifer, a source of public water supply in the area. Identification of the contamination and development of an appropriate site-specific remediation plan required understanding of site geology, stratigraphy, hydrogeologic setting and aquifer characteristics. Information on site geology and hydrogeology, including aquifer geometry and matrix, occurrence and flow of groundwater were collected and evaluated. Core holes were drilled, geophysically logged, and correlated to define stratigraphy and structural controls to the movement of groundwater and pollutants. Monitoring wells were installed. Water level data collected on a continuous basis were used to determine the direction and gradient and also correlated with climatic changes to define amplitude of fluctuations of groundwater. Correlation of lithologic logs and interpretation of geophysical logs identified five water-producing zones separated by semi-confined layers within the carbonate aquifer. Water samples were collected from different water producing zones and analyzed to delineate vertical and horizontal extent of contamination. Pentaerythritol (PE), which was directly linked with the failure of lagoon, was identified as a pollutant in groundwater. PE was found to be present in the lower water-producing zones. Based on a geologic and hydrogeologic model of the site and understanding of flow regime and presence of PE in the lower water producing zones, a remedial plan (a pump-and-treat system) was developed and implemented to remediate the aquifer. This remedial action has reduced the PE level in groundwater and also created a pressure trough as a barrier to off-site migration.