| Title: | Spatiotemporal changes of CVOC concentrations in karst aquifers: analysis of three decades of data from Puerto Rico |
| Author(s): | Yu X; Ghasemizadeh R; Padilla I; Irizarry C; Kaeli D; Alshawabkeh A; |
| Address: | "Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00682, USA. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: aalsha@coe.neu.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.031 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Print) 0048-9697 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "We studied the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds (CVOCs) in the karst aquifers in northern Puerto Rico (1982-2013). Seventeen CVOCs were widely detected across the study area, with the most detected and persistent contaminated CVOCs including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), carbon tetrachloride (CT), chloroform (TCM), and methylene chloride (DCM). Historically, 471 (76%) and 319 (52%) of the 615 sampling sites have CVOC concentrations above the detection limit and maximum contamination level (MCL), respectively. The spatiotemporal patterns of the CVOC concentrations showed two clusters of contaminated areas, one near the Superfund site 'Upjohn' and another near 'Vega Alta Public Supply Wells.' Despite a decreasing trend in concentrations, there is a general northward movement and spreading of contaminants even beyond the extent of known sources of the Superfund and landfill sites. Our analyses suggest that, besides the source conditions, karst characteristics (high heterogeneity, complex hydraulic and biochemical environment) are linked to the long-term spatiotemporal patterns of CVOCs in groundwater" |
| Keywords: | "*Environmental Monitoring Groundwater/*chemistry Puerto Rico Tetrachloroethylene/analysis Trichloroethylene/analysis Volatile Organic Compounds/*analysis Water Pollutants, Chemical/*analysis Water Pollution, Chemical/statistics & numerical data Cvoc Groun;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineYu, Xue Ghasemizadeh, Reza Padilla, Ingrid Irizarry, Celys Kaeli, David Alshawabkeh, Akram eng P42 ES017198/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/ P42ES017198/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Netherlands 2014/12/19 Sci Total Environ. 2015 Apr 1; 511:1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.031. Epub 2014 Dec 16" |
