EXPLAINING THE PATH AND FATE OF A FIRE-TRAINING AREA PFAS PLUME NEAR - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

EXPLAINING THE PATH AND FATE OF A FIRE-TRAINING AREA PFAS PLUME NEAR TWO CAPE COD LAKES: UNDERSTANDING GROUNDWATER-LAKE INTERACTIONS IS THE KEY Denis LeBlanc 1 J.K. Böhlke 2 Timothy McCobb 1 Andrea Tokranov 1,3 AFCEC Joint Base Cape Cod 4 1 USGS New England WSC 2 USGS Earth Systems Processes Division 3 Harvard University 4 Air Force Civil Engineer Center Support from Toxic Substances Hydrology Program Federal Remediation Technology Roundtable Earth Systems Processes Division November 7, 2018 Air Force Civil Engineer Center Harvard University

300 FEET 60 FT 3000 FEET

Joint Base Cape Cod Plumes 2007 Solvents and Fuels Explosives and Perchlorate JBCC Extraction Well Injection Well or Infiltration Gallery 2 miles

1 KM

Delta H-2 -50 -40 -30 -20 -50 -40 -30 -20 -50 -40 -30 -20 -50 -40 -30 -20 -50 -40 -30 -20 -50 -40 -30 -20 100 Altitude, in feet 0 - 100 VOCs - 200 VOCs - 300 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 SW Delta O-18 NE -50 -40 -30 -20 Lake seepage to groundwater Groundwater underflow from upgradient of lake -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 Not for citation or release Evaporation makes lake water 1 KM isotopically heavier

Fire-Training Area 1 Ashumet Joint Base Cape Cod FTA-1 Pond • Operated from 1958 to 1985 • PFAS-containing foams used from about 1970 to 1985 2 km

A FTA-1 A’ Ashumet Johns Pond Pond

A A’ Ashumet Pond Weber et al., 2017, ES&T Total PFASs = 240 ng/L

PFAS Plume Intersects Shore of Ashumet Pond FTA-1 • Mass flux across section Total PFAS, ng/L explains 25% of PFAS concentration in pond GW Flow • Uncertainties: Total - simulated water flux Section - concentration interpolation viewer - precursors - other sources SW NE 80 ALTITUDE, IN FEET 40 0 ) -40 Not for Groundwater flow toward viewer citation or -80 release 0 200 200 400 600 800 1,000 FEET

Groundwater Inflow Lake Water Outflow Lake Water 680 ng/L 280 ng/L 240 ng/L 150 Ft PFAS Plume Ashumet Pond 146 Ft 50 cm below Downgradient bottom Groundwater 110-750 ng/L ∑ PFAS, Sept. 2017 Not for citation or release

Quashnet FTA-1 River Ashumet Pond ? Johns Pond ? Inferred area of lake shadow ? ? ? Not for citation or release

PFASs Downgradient from Ashumet and Johns Ponds July-Sept 2017 PFOS + PFOA > 70 ng/L [EPA Health Advisory] 1 km FTA-1 Water table Johns Quashnet Ashumet River Pond Pond Meters PFAS plume 2015 Regional Groundwater Flow Weber et al., 2017 Bedrock Meters Not for citation or release

PFOS + PFOA ng/L delta 18 O/ 2 H No July 2017 May 2003 VOCs 50 Water table Quashnet River Johns Pond 25 Altitude, in meters 541 9 172 6 0 27 75 64 26 79 34 78 84 35 -25 100 67 75 -50 Regional Groundwater Flow 70 -75 Bedrock -100 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 Meters Not for citation or release

PFASs Near Quashnet FTA-1 Johns River Pond Ashumet and Johns Ashumet Ponds Pond ? 2017 PFOS + PFOA > 70 ng/L ? EPA Health Advisory Inferred area of Groundwater lake shadow Lake water ? ? River water ? Not for citation Results from or release USGS and AFCEC

Other Identified Potential PFAS Sources on JBCC and Simulated Flow Paths to Lakes and Rivers FTA-1 Source: AFCEC, August 2018

Summary • Lakes are often an important part of groundwater systems • Groundwater flow near the lakes can affect plume paths at local and regional scales • At Cape Cod the spreading of the FTA PFAS plume is greatly increased by the lake/groundwater interactions

For More Information Cape Cod Toxic Substances Hydrology Project Installation Restoration Program at Joint Base Cape Cod https://toxics.usgs.gov/investigations/ cape_cod/index.php Rose Forbes Air Force Civil Engineer Center Groundwater resources of Cape Cod rose.forbes@us.af.mil https://ma.water.usgs.gov/projects/ capegwresources/ USGS Contacts Denis LeBlanc Cape Cod lakes and plumes dleblanc@usgs.gov Andrea Tokranov Weber et al. (2017) PFAS plume: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b05573 andreaweber@fas.harvard.edu McCobb et al. (2018) Plume/lake interaction: Larry Barber https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.083 lbbarber@usgs.gov Stoliker et al. (2017) Plume/lake interaction: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b06155