Fluorescent dye tracing for defining chlorinated ethene plume remediation targets

Abstract

AbstractThree fluorescent dye traces were designed by Zapata Incorporated at a large portion of Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to replicate the migration of chlorinated ethene plumes from two target source areas and determine if commingling of those plumes has occurred. The target source areas are spatially separated, contributed contaminants into two aquifers, and were to be remediated from two different financial mechanisms. The nature of the shared fiscal responsibility for remediation of the commingled plumes was unclear.Background sampling was performed to verify that the preferred conservative dyes planned for use were suitable for the site. The fluorescent dyes used were fluorescein and eosine. Eosine dye was introduced into two wells in the upper saturated zone (USZ) under Building 3001 in July 2008. Fluorescein dye was introduced into four monitoring wells screened in the lower saturated zone (LSZ) and the lower lower saturated zone (LLSZ) in July 2008 at the industrial wastewater treatment plant. Zapata then conducted a second dye trace using fluorescein dye in a third USZ well to confirm the results of the eosine dye trace in the USZ under Building 3001. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.