NATURAL ATTENUATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE IN WETLAND SOIL

The Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (HCET) is supporting the application of natural attenuation to the cleanup of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS). SRS contains a number of groundwater plumes contaminated with organics, metals, and radionuclides as a result of past waste disposal practices. SRS is aggressively pursuing the use of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and enhanced natural attenuation as remedial options for many of these sites [1]. In support of this objective, HCET is conducting studies of various aspects of natural or nature-based remedial strategies. One of these activities involves natural attenuation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in wetland soil. In this study, batch and column tests were performed to investigate TCE adsorption onto wetland soil, measure the effects of the soil on pore water pH and oxygen/reduction potential, and study the biodegradation of TCE in groundwater in contact with wetland soil. The results indicate that complete biodegradation of TCE can occur as groundwater flows upward through wetland soil.