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Prepared in cooperation with the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment

Groundwater-Quality Data for a Treated-Wastewater Plume near the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08

By Jennifer G. Savoie, Denis R. LeBlanc, Gillian M. Fairchild, Richard L. Smith, Douglas B. Kent, Larry B. Barber, Deborah A. Repert, Charles P. Hart, Steffanie H. Keefe, and Luke A. Parsons

Abstract A plume of contaminated groundwater extends from former disposal beds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation’s wastewater-treatment plant toward Ashumet Pond, coastal ponds, and Vineyard Sound, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to the rapid-infiltration beds for nearly 60 years before the disposal site was moved to a different location in December 1995. Water-quality samples were collected from monitoring wells, multilevel samplers, and profile borings to characterize the nature and extent of the contaminated groundwater and to observe the water-quality changes after the wastewater disposal ceased. Data are presented here for water samples collected in 2007 from 394 wells (at 121 well-cluster locations) and 780 multilevel-sampler ports (at 42 locations) and in 2006–08 at 306 depth intervals in profile borings (at 20 locations) in and near the treated-wastewater plume. Analyses of these water samples for field parameters (specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen and phosphate concentrations, and alkalinity); absorbance of ultraviolet/visible light; and concentrations of nitrous oxide, dissolved organic carbon, methylene blue active substances, selected anions and nutrients, including nitrate and ammonium, and selected inorganic solutes, including cations, anions, and minor elements, are presented in tabular format. The natural restoration of the sand and gravel aquifer after removal of the treated-wastewater source, along with interpretations of the water quality in the treated-wastewater plume, have been documented in several published reports that are listed in the references.

First posted March 14, 2012 Report PDF (1,228 KB) Virtual CD with tables as PDF, XLSX, and CSV files A table selector interface to fetch ten tables in three formats (from CD-ROM) List of Tables See Contents, Tables (on CD-ROM) For additional information contact: Director, Massachusetts-Rhode Island Water Science Center 10 Bearfoot Road Northborough, MA 01532 http://ma.water.usgs.gov/ http://ma.water.usgs.gov/capecodtoxics/ The report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); if you need a PDF reader, go to Adobe Acrobat site to get latest version of Adobe Reader (free).

Suggested citation:

Savoie, J.G., LeBlanc, D.R., Fairchild, G.M., Smith, R.L., Kent, D.B., Barber, L.B., Repert, D.A., Hart, C.P., Keefe, S.H., and Parsons, L.A., 2012, Groundwater-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume near the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 648, 11 p., at https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/648.

Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Monitoring Groundwater Quality in the Treated-Wastewater Plume

Monitoring Wells

Multilevel Samplers

Sample Collection from Wells and Multilevel Samplers

Sample Collection from Profile Borings

Field Water-Quality Measurements

Sample Preservation and Chemical Analysis

Water-Quality Data

Summary

References Cited

Tables (on CD-ROM)

Table 1. Location coordinates, land-surface and screen altitudes, well diameters, casing and screen materials, and water-level altitudes and measurement dates for monitoring wells, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Table 2. Location coordinates, land-surface and screen altitudes, and estimated water-table altitudes for multilevel samplers, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Table 3. Drilling method, location coordinates, altitudes of land surface and tops and bottoms of sampling intervals, and estimated altitudes of the water table for direct-push and sonic profile borings, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08.

Table 4. Field water-quality analyses for groundwater samples collected from wells and multilevel samplers, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2007.

Table 5. Concentrations of selected anions, ammonium, and nitrous oxide in groundwater samples collected from wells and multilevel samplers, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2007.

Table 6. Ultraviolet/visible light absorbance and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and methylene blue active substances in groundwater samples collected from wells and multilevel samplers, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2007.

Table 7. Concentrations of selected inorganic solutes, including cations, anions, and minor elements, in groundwater samples collected from wells and multilevel samplers, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2007.

Table 8. Field water-quality analyses for groundwater samples collected from direct-push and sonic profile borings, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08.

Table 9. Concentrations of selected anions and ammonium in groundwater samples collected from direct-push and sonic profile borings, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08.

Table 10. Concentrations of selected inorganic solutes, including cations, anions, and minor elements, in groundwater samples collected from direct-push and sonic profile borings, Ashumet Valley treated-wastewater plume, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2006–08.