T136 Sources, Transport, Fate, and Toxicology of Trace Elements and Organics in the Environment

Tuesday, 6 November 2012
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
203A

ARSENIC SEQUESTRATION IN SEDIMENTS, PLANTS AND FISH OF THE LOWER MAURICE RIVER, NEW JERSEY

Paper number: T136-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Authors

Abstract

Arsenic, a class 1 carcinogen, is a dangerous contaminant present in the environment in many forms. From 1949 until 1994, the Vineland Chemical Company produced arsenic-based herbicides on a site located on the bank of Blackwater Creek, a tributary of the Maurice River, in Vineland, New Jersey. Vineland Chemical stored arsenic waste salts in open piles and precipitation events resulted in flushing of arsenic into the adjacent stream and groundwater below. A majority of the arsenic remaining in the environment from this source is bound to fine particulates in the arsenate V and arsenite III forms. The EPA’s Superfund cleanup effort at Vineland Chemical involves four operable units. They are: OU1 – Plant Site Source Control, OU2 – Plant Site Management of Migration (groundwater), OU3 – River Areas (Blackwater Creek and Maurice River), and OU4 - Union Lake. The 1989 Record of Decision (ROD) indicates that exposure pathways in the Maurice River below the Union Lake dam are not significant enough to include in the scope of the Superfund project. Remediation of Blackwater Creek sediments as well as heavy rainfall events may have caused arsenic laden particulates to be flushed downstream and settle south of the dam. The EPA has not conducted arsenic sampling south of the dam since the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) stage, so little is known about the current locations and concentrations of arsenic in this area.

As a complement to the ongoing research conducted by the EPA, this study focuses on current concentrations of arsenic and other trace elements in the sediments, plants and fish south of Union Lake. All samples were collected, dried and digested using USEPA method 3050A and analyzed for arsenic and other trace elements using a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS). Fish were collected and both soft tissue and bone were analyzed for arsenic and other trace elements. Additionally, multiple species of emergent sedge and rush plant varieties were sampled, dried, digested and analyzed for arsenic sequestration. Plants and sediments were collected north of the superfund site to establish a baseline arsenic level, at Union Lake and at several locations below the dam. Results were then compared to those obtained by the EPA in prior studies.