Data sufficiency analysis and assessment of uncertainty before and after detection of a leachate plume from a municipal landfill
Abstract
Groundwater contamination from municipal landfill leachate consisting of halogenated volatile organic compounds and petroleum byproducts in northeastern New York State was delineated between 1993 and 1995 and has been undergoing remediation since 1998. Elevated concentrations of leachate indicators (i.e. BOD5, TSS, chloride, and Specific Conductance) were identified in several downgradient monitoring wells as early as 1986. This case study involves a statistical power analysis for the landfill's detection and monitoring wells for two distinct time periods: (1) prior to plume delineation with limited data, and (2) post construction of monitoring wells and examination of additional exploratory borings. Traditional multivariate and geostatistical techniques (cokriging) were combined with a sufficiency analysis and uncertainty assessment to evaluate the importance of multiple data types at monitoring well locations. We address whether a sufficient number of monitoring locations existed to determine, within a particular confidence interval, that a regulatory concentration was not exceeded at specified spatial locations; whether the current sampling frequency is sufficient (or redundant) at monitoring locations; and give estimates of uncertainty at spatial locations of interest.
- Publication:
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AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004AGUSM.H31B..04R
- Keywords:
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- 1803 Anthropogenic effects;
- 1829 Groundwater hydrology;
- 1831 Groundwater quality