Groundwater is water beneath the earth’s surface that forms aquifers, providing wells and springs. The EPA monitors groundwater resources and regulates cleanup methods such as bioremediation, carbon sequestration, air stripping, physical removal, and incineration. When on-site methods are not effective, contaminants are removed by excavation and disposal.
Groundwater is the water below the earth’s surface and in the rocks and soil. When groundwater accumulates in large volumes, an aquifer is formed. Aquifers provide wells and springs, and due to the flow of groundwater, they also eventually move into lakes, rivers and wetlands. Because groundwater accounts for 95% of freshwater resources in the United States, groundwater resources are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates groundwater cleanup in the event of environmental contamination. A few different methods of groundwater cleanup include bioremediation, carbon sequestration, air stripping, and physical removal of contaminants.
Bioremediation is a form of groundwater cleaning. The organisms present in the contaminated site receive fertilizer and oxygen to strengthen themselves. The organisms eat the contamination, which allows the site to return to its natural state. This is often used when the groundwater contamination is an oil spill because the organisms can clean up the site much faster and cheaper than other types of groundwater cleanups.
When the water table is low, pumping and groundwater treatment is often used as groundwater remediation may not be effective. Contaminated groundwater is pumped from the aquifer, passed through a treatment system, then returned to the ground. Treatments include carbon adsorption and air stripping.
Carbon adsorption is a treatment technique that works by adsorbing contaminants through porous particles. Once the contaminants have been completely absorbed, the water can be returned to the environment. Air stripping works by forcing groundwater through an aeration tank that separates groundwater from contaminants; the purified water then flows back into the aquifer.
Groundwater cleanup can also involve incineration. One method of incineration is to burn the carbon used during carbon adsorption treatments so that contaminants present in the carbon after treatment can be destroyed. This groundwater cleaning method is also used when there is a significant amount of soil to treat and the contaminants are not of a type that can be eaten by organisms. Incineration takes place in encapsulated towers at extremely high heat in order to break down contaminants and destroy any organic compounds present.
When the size of the contamination site and the type of chemicals that need to be extracted do not lend themselves to on-site groundwater cleanup methods, EPA will direct the removal of the contaminants. This requires the introduction of heavy front loaders and dump trucks and the soil actually excavated and removed from the site. The materials are transported to a hazardous waste facility and disposed of under the direction of the EPA.
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