Groundwater Cleanup and Treatment

Did you know that more than fifty percent of New Jersey residents rely on our groundwater for drinking water purposes? It’s one of the most under thought of natural resources we have. Think about it. Depending on where you are reading this, the water underneath you is needed for cooking, showering and the all important purpose of drinking. And when contamination migrates into the groundwater table at levels above the New Jersey Ground Water Quality Standards, the State mandates the culprit be found, the extent of the contamination determined and a cleanup commence. This may sound harsh, but let’s put this in perspective by answering the question; Just what is groundwater contamination. As an example, the New Jersey ground water quality standard for Benzene, a compound which is found in petroleum products, is 1 part per billion or micrograms per liter. That’s the equivalent of a single penny in ten million dollars! If you have two pennies (benzene that is),  you’re over the standard, and it’s not recommended you drink it. So here at Marksmen Enterprises LLC, groundwater contamination is a serious matter.

While there are many sources of groundwater contamination, both naturally occurring and man-made, there are times when a leaking fuel oil tank can trigger a groundwater investigation and groundwater cleanup. Contaminated groundwater is identified through the installation of wells and/or points and sampled. For the most part, with the exceptions of extreme cases due to the many subsurface variables involved, as well as the chemical composition of fuel oil itself, fuel oil groundwater contamination tends to stay localized.

Whichever ground water cleanup method is selected, Marksmen Enterprises, LLC, can determine plume size and concentration of petroleum contamination, develop the most cost effective cleanup plan, obtain approval through the NJDEP and implement your groundwater cleanup needs.

One option for groundwater cleanup is the physical removal of impacted water from beneath your property. If you are at this stage of an environmental cleanup, it is likely that a monitoring well has been installed on your property for testing purposes. The monitoring well can also be used as part of the groundwater treatment strategy. Below we will discuss two groundwater treatment strategies used by Marksmen Enterprises LLC to satisfy the State’s requirement for a groundwater cleanup.

EFR

In cases of limited groundwater contamination, impacted water can be removed directly through the monitoring well and properly disposed at an appropriate vendor. This method is known as enhance fluid recovery or EFR. EFR is a fancy term for a simple physical removal of impacted water by use of a vacuum truck. The vacuum truck is attached to the monitoring well with a large hose. Water is pulled from the monitoring well and into the truck’s tank. One or more EFR events can be used for groundwater cleanup when the contamination is not persistent. This cleanup activity does not require the approval of the State of New Jersey in advance of work.

Groundwater Treatment System

In cases of more persistent groundwater contamination, impacted water can be removed directly from the monitoring well and can be treated right on your property. This method is commonly known as a groundwater pump and treat system. Impacted groundwater is pumped from the monitoring (or recovery) well and is treated by separating out any oil, mechanical filtration (think of a swimming pool filter to remove small particles), and finally carbon filtration to remove the petroleum chemical byproducts. The clean water is then discharged back to the ground (when possible), to a storm sewer, or to a sanitary sewer. Marksmen Enterprises, LLC prides itself on building small profile treatment systems when long term treatment is required. The treatment systems built by Marksmen Enterprises, LLC are housed in sheds that will look no different from any outdoor tool shed that you see in your neighborhood.

This cleanup activity does require the approval of the State of New Jersey. Marksmen Enterprises, LLC will obtain all required State approval, and local approvals prior to starting the groundwater cleanup.

Excavation Dewatering

For projects where excavation will occur to remove contaminated soil from an area with a high groundwater table, Marksmen Enterprises, LLC constructs mobile large scale dewatering systems. These systems are temporarily installed at the site (on average under a month), and treat contaminated groundwater while excavation work is occurring. This cleanup activity does require the approval of the State of New Jersey. Marksmen Enterprises, LLC will obtain all required State approval, and local approvals prior to starting the groundwater cleanup services.

Every property is unique, therefore, every groundwater cleanup project is unique and will be tailored to be the fastest and most cost effective while remaining aesthetically pleasing for long term projects.