Development of Background Values for Inorganics in Ground Water

Abstract

Background inorganic concentrations were developed for ground water at the former Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville, a National Priorities List site, to establish remediation criteria. A multiparty team has been established to clean and close this former military installation. The first phase of the investigation involved the development of basewide piezometric surface contour maps, determination of ground-water flow direction, and selection of sampling locations where ground-water conditions would reflect background. The second phase involved the installation and low-flow sampling of background wells and the determination of inorganic background values. Environmental factors considered include regional and site hydrogeology and geochemistry, historical aquifer data, the definition of background conditions considering anthropogenic effects, sampling techniques, and the presence of organics in samples. Analytical data evaluation included analysis and interpretation of results, a comparison of data with state and federal water quality criteria, and a statistical analysis of the data. The background inorganic chemistry established in this study is being used to determine cleanup goals for the site and to assess the necessity of remedial actions relating to the ground water at the Naval Construction Battalion Center.