Locating NAPLs in Ground Water Using Partitioning Fluorescent Dyes

A major challenge in ground water remediation is locating nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). Partitioning tracers can be used to identify NAPL sources between injection and extraction wells. NAPLs are only slightly soluble in water, pose a long-term source of groundwater contamination, and can be difficult to remove. The complexity of recovery processes requires the development of new technologies that guarantee cost effective methods for locating and quantifying NAPLs. Traditional methods like soil coring have been inefficient since they underestimate the quantity of NAPLs and are expensive. Partitioning tracer tests are some of the most recent methods developed for locating these contaminants and determining the volume of the NAPL present in the inter-well zone. The results of the tests can be used to develop remediation techniques to recover NAPLs entrapped in the contaminated zone. Fluorescent dyes may be useful as partitioning tracers. They can be analyzed quickly at the field site, resulting in a shorter analysis time and lower costs than other partitioning tracers. This project pursued the selection of suitable tracers and the development of partitioning tracer techniques to locate and quantify NAPLs in the subsurface