Assessing the Impact of Chlorinated‐Solvent Sites on Metropolitan Groundwater Resources

Abstract

Chlorinated-solvent compounds are among the most common groundwater contaminants in the U.S.A. The majority of the many sites contaminated by chlorinated-solvent compounds are located in metropolitan areas, and most such areas have one or more chlorinated-solvent contaminated sites. Thus, contamination of groundwater by chlorinated-solvent compounds may pose a potential risk to the sustainability of potable water supplies for many metropolitan areas. The impact of chlorinated-solvent sites on metropolitan water resources was assessed for Tucson, AZ, by comparing the aggregate volume of extracted groundwater for all pump-and-treat systems associated with contaminated sites in the region to the total regional groundwater withdrawal. The analysis revealed that the aggregate volume of groundwater withdrawn for the pump-and-treat systems operating in Tucson, all of which are located at chlorinated-solvent contaminated sites, was 20% of the total groundwater withdrawal in the city for the study period. The treated groundwater was used primarily for direct delivery to local water supply systems or for reinjection as part of the pump-and-treat system. The volume of the treated groundwater used for potable water represented approximately 13% of the total potable water supply sourced from groundwater, and approximately 6% of the total potable water supply. This case study illustrates the significant impact chlorinated-solvent contaminated sites can have on groundwater resources and regional potable-water supplies.

Emerging Trends in Groundwater Pollution and Quality

“…Groundwater remediation processes particularly the pump-and-treat systems may pose sustainability of potable drinking water supply where groundwater is the major source of drinking water. A case study from Tucson, Arizona, USA showed the pump-and-treat remediation process employed for treating groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent accounts for 20% of the total withdrawal in Tucson (Brusseau and Narter, 2013). The authors stated that, the treated water accounts for 13% of the total potable water supply.…”