WorldWide Drilling Resource

26 OCTOBER 2013 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Outsmarting the Dirt ~ Groundwater Sampling Part 3 by Thomas D. Dalzell, CWD Director of Environmental Research AMS, Inc. Summary and Conclusions Lack of proper preparation and plan- ning leads to poor performance! The purpose of this article series is to out- line some of the crucial steps and con- siderations, at a minimum, that should be taken into account every time, to develop and conduct a complete and successful groundwater sampling plan. It may be necessary to have a variety of drilling, tooling, and sampling options to successfully complete all phases of the EIs (environmental drilling investi- gations). Sometimes it is necessary to have a variety of drilling techniques; therefore, dual or multiple combination drill rigs, such as direct push rigs, can be ideal for the sampling of groundwater and installation of a variety of ground- water monitoring well types. In addition, it can be important to have a drill rig that can get through difficult terrain, get to limited-access situations, and have minimal or no impact on/at the ground surface where the EIs are to be con- ducted. The fieldwork which involves ground- water sampling and monitoring well in- stallation must be conducted with precise sampling procedures with a range of acceptable variances which can be ap- plied in actual sampling conditions and safety procedures. If there is not adequate time estab- lished and allowed before the work is started, then typically one of two things happens. First, groundwater sampling and installation of monitoring wells are rushed and proper decontamination and use of proper personal protection equip- ment can be omitted, and field documen- tation is not thorough. Second, if field personnel choose not to do all fieldwork appropriately, the time budgeted for the project can be severely overrun. If the exact sampling procedure is not specified, field personnel may not have the correct items or correct quan- tity of items. The major problem to not having the correct items is sampling will be conducted in the improper way. The major problem to not having the correct quantity of items is expendable one-time use items may be used repeatedly, and cross contamination between sampling events can occur. In sampling groundwater, it is very important the sampling and monitoring procedures be conducted in a way which meets all applicable requirements, and accurately represents, as close as pos- sible, the actual level of contaminants that have impacted the groundwater. As mentioned at the beginning, specifically, the goal of EIs is to protect and restore groundwater resources. Ultimately, the entire project is con- ducted to represent actual subsurface conditions to provide data to develop a strategy to protect human health and the environment - and thus restore the negatively impacted property to a healthy status for future use and occupancy. Coming up next, Outsmarting the Dirt ~ Remediation will address reme- dial investigations, remediation, and site closure. Tom Thomas D. Dalzell may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com *0 -4 - $+* .&*+ -'.1&((" +2"- +- /-&0) %+/"( -++). (( *! -"#"- /+ **0 ( +*#"-"* " 0." +!" ")&* -. 3%& &/. ,,4 %+0- ,-&)" -& !&**"- *! 0".! 4 *&$%/ "#+-" /%" +*1"*/&+* +0&.& * -+0*! /"- ..+ & /&+* +*1"*/&+* - !" %+2