Effects of Selected Sampling Equipment and Procedures on the Concentrations of Trichloroethylene and Related Compounds in Ground Water Samples |
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| Authors: | Kenneth A Pearsall David A V Eckhardt |
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| Institution: | Kenneth Pearsall is a hydrologist with the U. S. Geological Survey (5 Aerial Way, Syosset, NY 11791) on Long Island, New York. He received his Ph. D. in chemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and is currently studying geochemical processes in the aquifer system of Long Island.;David Eckhardt has been a hydrologist with the U. S. Geological Survey (5 Aerial Way, Syosset, NY 11791) since 1974. His current work in the Long Island Subdistrict office includes a regional appraisal of dissolved trace elements and synthetic organic compounds in the Long Island aquifer system. He has aB. S. in geological sciences from Lehigh University and an M. S. in forest hydrology from West Virginia University. |
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| Abstract: | Variations in concentrations of trichloroethylene and related compounds in ground water obtained from seven ground water samplers were used to compare the performance of three submersible pumps, a centrifugal pump, two peristaltic pumps, and a bailer. Two- and 4-inch diameter submersible pumps and a centrifugal pump produced samples whose trichloroethylene concentrations, on the average, did not differ significantly from each other. Ground water samples collected by using a peristaltic pump and silicone tubing had significantly lower trichloroethylene concentrations than samples from the submersible pumps. Concentrations of 1,2-dichloroethylene and trichloroethylene in ground water samples collected by using a bailer were indistinguishable from those in samples taken by a submersible pump when the concentrations were as much as 96 and 76 micrograms per liter, respectively, but were 15 and 12 percent lower when concentrations were as low as 29 and 23 micrograms per liter, respectively. Tests of different configurations of sampler placement in observation wells indicate that pump placement, rate of pumping, duration of pumping, and the uniformity of the vertical and lateral distribution of trichloroethylene in ground water near the well screen have a potentially significant influence on trichloroethylene concentrations in ground water samples and that these factors can have a greater effect than the type of sampler used. |
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