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Ecology groundwater assessment studies

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Underway studies

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Toxics studies (4)	Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies (4)
Agricultural studies (3)	Ambient monitoring and additional studies (1)

1	Lakewood Plaza Cleaners Study type: toxics This project involves compliance ground water monitoring for volatile organic compounds at the Plaza Cleaners Lakewood site, near Lakewood, WA. This work is conducted on the behalf of the Toxics Cleanup Program. Project lead: Pam Marti Phone: (360) 407-6768 Make a request or comment Document(s): Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners July 15,1998 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring Round I Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring Round II Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring Round III, November 12-13, 1991. Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring Round IV - May 27-28, 1992 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring, January and August 1999 Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, February and August 2002 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, January and August 2001 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners, January and August 2000 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-term Monitoring Round V; December 1-3, 1992 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Long-Term Monitoring Round VI, May 3-4, 1993 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Round VIII, April 18-20, 1994 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Round IX Nov 8-9, 1994 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners July 11, 12 & 14, 1995 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners January 17 - 18, 1996 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners July 31, 1996 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners January 9, 1997 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners July 23-24, 1997 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners February 2, 1998 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners Round VII, December 1-2, 1993 Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, February and September 2003 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, June and November 2004 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, June and November 2005 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood Plaza Cleaners, May and September 2006 Groundwater Monitoring Results Lakewood Plaza Cleaners Groundwater Monitoring Results, May and October 2008 Lakewood/Plaza Cleaners, June and October 2007 Groundwater Monitoring Results
2	Shelton Laundry & Cleaners Groundwater Monitoring Study type: toxics This project is located in Shelton, Washington (Mason County). Groundwater samples are being collected semi-annually to monitor concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) after the injection of a hydrogen release compound (HRC) for remediation treatment in June 2005. Groundwater samples are collected for volatile organic compounds (VOC) from 5 monitoring wells. Results will be summarized in an annual report. The outcome of this work will determine if this site can be removed from the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) list. Project lead: Pam Marti Phone: (360) 407-6768 Make a request or comment Document(s): Shelton Laundry and Cleaners, September 2007 through May 2008 Groundwater Monitoring Results Quality Assurance Project Plan: Shelton Cleaners and Laundry Shelton Laundry & Cleaners, July 2002 through April 2003 Groundwater Monitoring Results Shelton Laundry and Cleaners, November 2003 and April 2004 Groundwater Monitoring Results Shelton Laundry and Cleaners, September 2004 and April 2005 Groundwater Monitoring Results Shelton Laundry and Cleaners, August 2005 through May 2006 Groundwater Monitoring Results Addendum to the quality assurance project plan for Shelton Laundry and Cleaners. Addendum #2 to Quality Assurance Project Plan: Shelton Cleaners and Laundry Shelton Laundry and Cleaners, August 2006 through May 2007 Groundwater Monitoring Results
3	Fate of Nitrogen in Animal Manures used as Fertilizer Study type: agricultural The purpose of this study is to evaluate manure, groundwater, soil, and crop nitrogen at a field where dairy waste is used to fertilize grass in the Nooksack Basin. Since 2004, soil samples have been collected weekly during the fall and less frequently during the rest of the year to track mineralization, accumulation, and movement of nitrogen. Groundwater samples are collected monthly except in the summer when they are collected every six weeks. Manure and commercial fertilizer application are being quantified. Monitoring wells were installed in August 2004, and groundwater sampling began in September 2004. Data will be collected through December of 2008. A final report is scheduled for publication in May of 2009. Project lead: Barb Carey Phone: (360) 407-6769 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Effects of Conventional versus Minimum Tillage on Groundwater Nitrate at a Manured Grass Field POSTER: Groundwater Nitrate Below a Manured Dairy Field Over the Sumas-Blaine Aquifer Quality Assurance Project Plan: Groundwater, Soil, and Crop Nitrogen at a Field Where Dairy Waste is Used as Fertilizer in Whatcom County Addendum to the Quality Assurance Project Plan for: Groundwater, Soil, and Crop Nitrogen at a Field Where Dairy Waste is Used as Fertilizer in Whatcom County
4	American Plating Groundwater Monitoring Study type: toxics This project is located at a former electroplating company in Tacoma, Washington (Pierce County) on the Thea Foss waterway. Groundwater samples are collected semi-annually to determine contaminant concentrations since the removal of plating line-derived waste material in the summer of 2003. Groundwater samples are collected from five monitoring wells for dissolved metals (cadmium, chromium, hexavalent chromium, copper and nickel), weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide and volatile organics. Results are summarized in an annual report. Project lead: Pam Marti Phone: (360) 407-6768 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: American Plating Post-Interim Action Monitoring American Plating Post-Interim Action Groundwater Monitoring Results, February and August 2004 American Plating Post-Interim-Action Groundwater Monitoring Results, March and August 2005 American Plating Post-Interim-Action Groundwater Monitoring Results, May and September, 2006 American Plating Post-Interim-Action Groundwater Monitoring Results: May and September, 2008 Addendum to the Quality Assurance Project Plan for the American Plating Post-Interim Action Monitoring. American Plating Post-Interim-Action Groundwater Monitoring Results, April and September, 2007
5	Montesano Groundwater Investigation Study type: toxics Groundwater beneath downtown Montesano is contaminated with petroleum products. The contamination is likely the result of historic releases from leaking underground storage tanks. To characterize the lateral extent of groundwater contamination within a four block downtown area, samples were collected from about 20 existing monitoring wells for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX), as well as total petroleum hydrocarbons as gasoline (TPH-G) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Water level measurements from the wells will determine groundwater flow directions. This data will be helpful in determining which areas require additional investigation. This information also will be used when working with the local government to mitigate potential impacts of a multi-source, area-wide contaminant plume to nearby utilities and surface water. Project lead: Pam Marti Phone: (360)407-6768 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks, October 2004 and March 2005 Addendum to the Quality Assurance Project Plan: Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks, October 2005 and March 2006 Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks, October 2007 and April 2008 Montesano Groundwater Investigation of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks, October 2006 and March 2007
6	Upper Yakima Basin Temperature TMDL Groundwater Study Study type: TMDL This investigation will evaluate the surface water/groundwater interactions within the Upper Yakima watershed. In-stream piezometers are located within the Taneum, Umtanum, Naneum and Swauk creeks, and will be monitored monthly during the summer of 2005 for temperature, specific conductance, and static water level. Additionally, continuous monitoring instruments will record a profile of subsurface water temperature. The results of this study will support the temperature TMDL assessment for the Upper Yakima watershed. Project lead: Melanie Redding Phone: (360) 407-6524 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Upper Yakima Basin Temperature Total Maximum Daily Load Study
7	Study of Soil Fumigants (EDB and 1,2-DCP) in the Groundwater of the Bertram Creek and Meadowdale Areas, Whatcom County, WA Study type: agricultural Ethylene dibromide (EDB) and 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP) are soil fumigants that are present in groundwater in northeastern Whatcom County. The Sumas-Blaine aquifer is the primary source of drinking water in the area. Groundwater was initially discovered to be contaminated in 1984 during a statewide investigation. Alternate water sources were supplied to those residents where contamination was documented or suspected. A more comprehensive study was conducted in 1998 which focused on drinking water from 123 private domestic wells in the Bertrand Creek and Meadowdale areas near the city of Lynden, Washington. The purpose was to refine the nature and extent of EDB and 1,2-DCP contamination in groundwater and determine the fate and transport mechanisms. This is a follow-up study that will define the current condition of the aquifer and it is designed to supplement the existing data collected in 1998 by O'Herron. This is a one-time sampling project that will target approximately 30 private domestic wells. A subset of the wells previously sampled in 1998 will be resampled in this study, plus additional wells which have never been sampled before. The goal of this project is to: (1) update previous findings to provide a current picture of the contaminant levels, (2) determine the extent of the contaminant plumes, (3) determine the natural attenuation rate of EDB and 1,2-DCP concentrations in the area, and (4) verify the adequacy of the supplemental drinking water program. Project lead: Melanie Redding Phone: (360) 407-6524 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Bertrand Creek and Meadowdale Areas (Whatcom County) Follow-Up Study of EDB and 1,2-DCP in Residential Wells.
8	Burnt Bridge Creek TMDL Groundwater Support Study type: TMDL In summer 2008 Ecology will undertake a variety of TMDL based field studies to assess current stream temperatures and water quality conditions within the Burnt Bridge Creek watershed, in southern Clark County. Past monitoring has shown that portions of the creek commonly do not meet water quality standards for temperature, dissolved oxygen, and fecal coliform bacteria. This study, which is part of Ecology�s larger TMDL effort for Burnt Bridge Creek, will evaluate both the thermal and water quality influences that discharging groundwater imparts to gaining reaches of the creek. To meet these objectives 13 shallow in-stream wells (piezometers) will be deployed along Burnt Bridge Creek, in spring 2008, to characterize local scale surface water/groundwater interactions. The piezometers will be instrumented with recording thermistors to measure streambed thermal profiles and will be accessed once or twice per month, between June 2008 and June 2009, to measure surface water and groundwater head relationships. During site visits in July and September, 2008, water quality samples will be collected from those piezometers where groundwater discharge to the stream is indicated. These data will be combined with the results from continuous streamflow gages and two stream seepage assessments to derive both point and reach based estimates of the water volume and nutrient mass load that groundwater contributes to the creek along gaining reaches. Project lead: Kirk Sinclair Phone: (360) 407-6557 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Burnt Bridge Creek Fecal Coliform Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, and Temperature Total Maximum Daily Load-Water Quality Study Design
9	Sumas Blaine Surficial Aquifer Long-term Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Study type: ambient The purpose of this project is to implement a long-term ambient groundwater monitoring program in the Sumas-Blaine surficial aquifer. This aquifer has been identified as one of the most severely contaminated aquifers in Washington State (Erickson, 2000). This study is designed to build on the previous monitoring efforts in order to provide an annual assessment of the status of the groundwater quality. Additionally, this monitoring program can assist in identifying new groundwater problems which may arise. Thirty-five wells will be sampled annually for nitrate, chloride, and bromide in March beginning in 2009. This project will continue as long as funding is available. Project lead: Melanie Redding Phone: (360) 407-6524 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Sumas-Blaine Surficial Aquifer Long-Term Ambient Groundwater Monitoring
10	Waitsburg WWTP Groundwater Study - Evaluation of Nutrient Loading to the Touchet River, WA Study type: TMDL In 2007 a Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL) Water Quality Improvement Report was published to address federal Clean Water Act 303(d) listings for pH and dissolved oxygen in the Walla Walla River watershed. The improvement report recommended additional field investigation in several key areas of concern within the watershed, to help identify the specific source(s) of elevated nutrients observed in surface water. This included a recommendation for additional nutrient source and loading investigations in the vicinity of the Waitsburg, Washington municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Treated effluent from the Waitsburg WWTP has historically been released to an unlined infiltration wetland immediately adjacent to the Touchet River, a tributary to the Walla Walla River. The wetland is considered in hydraulic continuity with the river. This suggests the possibility that an excess nutrient load could be reaching the river from the infiltration system via subsurface seepage. A groundwater study is proposed to determine if this is the case. Project lead: Charles Pitz Phone: (360) 407-6775 Make a request or comment Document(s): Quality Assurance Project Plan: Waitsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant Groundwater Study: Evaluation of Nutrient Loading to the Touchet River
11	Hangman Hills Groundwater Study Study type: TMDL Hangman Hills is a project in Spokane County that is being conducted to support the Hangman Creek TMDL. The primary concern is the contribution of nutrients from groundwater and their impact on surface water. There are several identified sources including the wastewater treatment plant lagoons, the golf course, and residential contributions from on-site sewage systems and fertilizer use. The Hangman Hills Groundwater project entails collecting and analyzing data, which will occur in the Summer of 2010. Project lead: Melanie Redding Phone: (360)407-6524 Make a request or comment
12	Basic American Foods Study type: agricultural Basic American Foods is a potato processing facility in Moses Lake that land applies their processed wastewater year-round to crops grown on sand dune deposits. The purpose of this project is to determine whether BAF requires winter storage for their process wastewater, by evaluating whether their current management practice of year round application is just as effective as a winter storage lagoon in protecting groundwater. Parameters of concern include nitrogen, phosphorous, TDS, and hydraulic loading. Project lead: Melanie Redding Phone: (360) 407-6524 Make a request or comment

For more information about the Environmental Assessment Program groundwater team activities, please contact: Martha Maggi (mmag461@ecy.wa.gov). For questions about this web page please contact Charles Pitz (chpi461@ecy.wa.gov).

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