Assessment of monitored natural attenuation as a remedial option at Savannah River site\u27s sanitary landfill using the biochlor model

The purpose of this research was to assess the feasibility of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) as a remedial option at Savannah River Site’s (SRS) Sanitary Landfill using the BIOCHLOR screening model. Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) results are used to identify the nature, quantity and the sources of contaminants, and Phase II ESA results are used to identify hydrogeologic and other site-specific data required to run the model. Based on examination and evaluation of past documents, the SRS Sanitary Landfill attained a score of 15 according to the U.S.E.P.A (United States Environmental Protection Agency) natural attenuation screening protocol, which implies that there is adequate evidence for anaerobic biodegradation of chlorinated organics. It is therefore assumed that reductive dechlorination under anaerobic conditions is the major means of solvent degradation. As the assumptions of the BIOCHLOR model very closely suits the above conditions, it is selected as a suitable natural attenuation-screening model. In Phase III of this thesis BIOCHLOR model was run, and the results are discussed by analyzing the variation of concentration of parent and daughter contaminants over the modeled area for the modeled time period. It is concluded that at many places in the modeled area the concentration of contaminants well exceed the MCL (Maximum Concentration Limit). This contradicts the suitability of MN A as a remedial strategy and prompts identification of other treatment technologies in conjunction with MNA at SRS Landfill Site