Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring
DTSC also controls the monitoring programs required of DuPont to evaluate the quality of groundwater underneath and surface water adjacent to the Oakley Site.
Groundwater monitoring at the Oakley Site includes samples collected from 170 wells in three aquifers that are sampled one to four times a year, and that provide more than 28,000 analytical results each year. Monitoring results are reported twice-yearly to DTSC. They are also used to help identify areas where groundwater remediation will be required and to assist with the design of groundwater remedies. The monitoring program is continuously evaluated for effectiveness. Obsolete wells are decommissioned, and new wells are added to ensure that the data gathered is representative of groundwater conditions at the site. The monitoring program also addresses the effectiveness of the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) walls constructed as an interim groundwater corrective measure.
Because groundwater ultimately discharges to surface water bodies adjacent to the site, DuPont also collects surface water samples every 6 months at 20 sampling locations along the San Joaquin River. Surface water sample results have consistently demonstrated that the San Joaquin River is a safe drinking water source and Little Break is a high quality ecological environment.
Please click on any of these photos to view a larger image and descriptive text.
Other pages in this section:
- Highlights
-
Although groundwater beneath the site is contaminated, surface water samples collected every six months show that water quality objectives are consistently met in the San Joaquin River and Little Break.