Environmental Investigation of a Diesel Spill in a Karst Area of Kentucky

Chemicals and Allied Products

“…This study provides guidance to practitioners balancing opposing theoretical perspectives, ease-of-implementation, and effectiveness when choosing a plume interpolation method. Brad et al (2003) presented the results of an environmental investigation of a diesel spill in a karst area of Kentucky, which is an upgradient portion of the Turnhole Spring groundwater basin near Mammoth Cave National Park. The scope of this investigation was to determine whether free-phase diesel fuel remained within the epikarst zone following excavation of impacted soil.…”

Hydrogel tracer beads as potential proxies for non-aqueous phase liquids in karst: Development of an optical quantification method for fluorescent beads

“…Fate and transport predictions may be even more complicated to make if there is a poor understanding on the transport behavior of the contaminants, such as there is with non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) (e.g. Ewers et al, 1991;Crawford and Ulmer, 1994;Stephenson et al, 2004).…”

“…In karst terrains, NAPLs can move into the subsurface indirectly through thin soils or directly through sinkholes and swallow holes. Once they get into the subsurface, various trapping mechanisms may store the NAPLs for long periods of time ( Figure 1, Crawford and Ulmer, 1994;Stephenson et al, 2004). For example NAPLs that seep through the soil zone may adsorb onto soil grains or become trapped in between pore spaces, whereas NAPLs that move through karst conduits will be transported according to their density.…”

“…On Interstate 65 near Park City, Kentucky, a tanker truck carrying 3,700 gallons of diesel fuel (LNAPL) spilled adjacent to Parker Cave, in the up-gradient portion of the Tumhole Spring groundwater basin (Stephenson et al, 2004). To delineate subsurface karst features capable of storing or transporting diesel fuel, the researchers conducted four types of geophysical surveys: electromagnetic conductivity, electrical resistivity imaging, spontaneous potential, and microgravity.…”

“…If it is assumed that the buoyant HTBs are transported in the same way as LNAPLs, the results of the tests in the Experimental Stream Facility suggest that travel times predicted from solute traces may not truly indicate the appropriate time to collect water samples because LNAPLs can travel faster than solutes (Laskoskie, 2013). In the case-studies at Park City and Richmond, KY, where LNAPLs accidentally released into karst aquifers were not recovered in known discharge points (Ewers et al, 1991;Stephenson et al, 2004), LNAPL travel time was estimated based on dye traces. Since the LNAPLs can travel faster than solutes, it is possible that the LNAPLs traveled to the discharge points before water sampling began (Laskoskie, 2013), and thus their presence was not detected.…”