SERDP & ESTCP Webinar Series
SERDP and ESTCP have launched a webinar series to promote the transfer of innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions developed through projects funded in five program areas. The webinar series targets Department of Defense and Department of Energy practitioners, the regulatory community and environmental researchers with the goal of providing cutting edge and practical information that is easily accessible at no cost.
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Webinar #104 (12/12/2019)
Advances in Remediating Groundwater Contaminated with Chlorinated Solvents
Dr. Steve Richardson, GSI Environmental, Inc.
Dr. Craig Divine, ARCADIS
December 12, 2019
12:00 PM ET (9:00 AM PT)
Abstracts
“New Application of a Geotechnical Technology to Remediate Low-Permeability Contaminated Media” by Dr. Steve Richardson ( ESTCP Project Webpage)
A critical challenge preventing many chlorinated solvent sites from reaching cleanup goals is the persistent release of residual contaminants from low permeability (low-k) media. To address this challenge, this ESTCP project aims to demonstrate an innovative application of a geotechnical technology, the “Grout Bomber,” to improve the delivery of remedial amendments at matrix-diffusion sites. The “Grout Bomber” is a soil stabilization technology that uses an excavator equipped with specialized equipment (a “stitcher” mast) to quickly emplace cement grout into subsurface voids. Its speed and efficiency are advantageous to the field of environmental remediation, particularly remedial amendment applications. Specific project objectives include demonstrating that (1) conventional “Grout Bomber” equipment can be repurposed to efficiently install hundreds of closely-spaced vertical reaction columns containing zero-valent iron and vegetable oil; (2) the amendments stimulate abiotic/biotic degradation processes and generate concentration gradients that drive contaminant diffusion from low-k zones towards the reaction columns; and (3) by having closely-spaced (every 2 to 3 feet) vertical reaction columns, chlorinated solvent concentrations in low-k zones can be reduced, thus shortening the “long tail” of contaminant flux from matrix diffusion. This presentation will discuss the operational and performance results for this diffusion-based technology at Site 17, Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland.
“The Horizontal Reactive Media Treatment Well (HRX Well®) – A New Technology for In-Situ Remediation” by Dr. Craig Divine ( ESTCP Project Webpage)
For many Department of Defense (DoD) sites, remedial objectives and technologies focusing primarily on long-term mass discharge reduction will be increasingly favored. This project demonstrates a new in-situ remediation concept termed a Horizontal Reactive Media Treatment Well (HRX Well®) that is particularly well-suited for sites where long-term mass discharge control is a primary performance objective. The HRX Well® utilizes horizontal wells oriented parallel to groundwater flow filled with a treatment media. The design leverages natural “flow-focusing” behavior induced by the engineered hydraulic conductivity contrast to passively capture and treat proportionally large volumes of groundwater within the well in situ. Clean groundwater then exits the horizontal well along its down-gradient sections. Many different types of treatment media are already available, including zero valent iron, activated carbon, biodegradable particulate organic matter such as mulch, ion exchange resins, zeolite, apatite and chitin. Therefore, this concept could be used to address a wide range of contaminants. The approach requires no above-ground treatment, minimal footprint and limited ongoing maintenance. This presentation will discuss in detail the results of the modeling, tank tests and field implementation at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
Speaker Biographies

Dr. Steve Richardson is a principal engineer with GSI Environmental in Austin, Texas. He specializes in the application of innovative strategies to treat conventional and emerging contaminants in soil, groundwater and surface water at a wide range of contaminated sites. He has served as a principal investigator on several DoD-sponsored research projects on cometabolic biodegradation of 1,4-dioxane, innovative approaches for treatment of chlorinated solvents in low permeability zones, anaerobic bioremediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquids, and treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Stephen has authored more than 15 peer-reviewed journal articles on in situ bioremediation, chemical oxidation, cosolvent flushing, decentralized water treatment, contaminant bioavailability, and water chemistry in areas of oil and gas development. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo, a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, and a doctoral degree in environmental engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Craig Divine is a technical expert and Vice President at Arcadis in Irvine, California. He has more than 20 years of experience remediating large groundwater plumes utilizing a wide range of technologies. He has developed and field-tested passive diffusion samplers for dissolved gas tracers, point velocity probes, partitioning interwell tracer tests, light non-aqueous phase liquid tracer testing, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and low-temperature heating to enhance degradation rates for chlorinated solvents. He is currently collaborating on a project using IBM’s Watson platform to build a machine learning-powered expert system to support remediation decision-making. He currently serves as a principal investigator on projects to develop and demonstrate the Min-Trap™ and the HRX Well® technologies. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Wheaton College in Illinois, a master's degree in watershed science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and a doctoral degree in geochemistry/hydrogeology from the Colorado School of Mines.
Past Webinars
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- 05/05/2016 - Cost Effective and Resilient Building-Scale Microgrid Solutions for Increased Energy Security
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- 04/08/2021 - Advances in Understanding PFAS Ecological Risks
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- 01/20/2021 - Development of a Decision Support Tool for Vadose Zone Remediation of Volatile Contaminants
- 12/10/2020 - Approaches for Managing Contaminated Sediments
- 11/19/2020 - Abiotic Degradation of Chlorinated Solvents in Subsurface Environments
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- 10/08/2020 - Managing AFFF Impacts to Subsurface Environments and Assessment of Commercially Available PFAS-Free Foams (Part 1)
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- 03/12/2020 - Applying Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis to Document Contaminant Degradation and Distinguish Sources
- 12/12/2019 - Advances in Remediating Groundwater Contaminated with Chlorinated Solvents
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- 11/15/2018 - Stormwater Impacts on Sediment Recontamination
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- 08/09/2018 - Energy Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Systems for Forward Operating DoD Installations
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- 05/18/2017 - High-Resolution Site Characterization at Chlorinated Solvents Sites
- 04/06/2017 - 1,4-Dioxane Impacts and Innovative Cleanup Technologies at DoD Contaminated Sites
- 03/09/2017 - Award Winning Projects: Environmental Restoration
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- 09/08/2016 - Practical Assessment and Optimization of Redox-Based Groundwater Remediation Technologies
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- 04/21/2016 - Long Term Monitoring Issues at Chlorinated Solvent Sites
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- 01/14/2016 - Vapor Intrusion: Regulatory Update and Advances in Assessment Tools
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- 10/29/2015 - Assessment and Treatment of Contaminated Sediments
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- 05/09/2019 - Roles of Soil Microbial Communities in Ecosystem Restoration
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- 06/14/2018 - Approaches to Managing Threatened, Endangered and At-Risk Bird Species
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- 06/29/2017 - Future Vulnerabilities to Alaskan Ecosystems and Tools for Permafrost Assessment
- 02/23/2017 - Award Winning Projects: Resource Conservation and Resiliency
- 10/20/2016 - DoD Decision Making and Climate Change
- 09/22/2016 - Managing the Brown Treesnake Headache: Assessment of the Aerial Acetaminophen Bait Drop on Guam
- 04/07/2016 - Use of Climate Information for Decision Making and Impacts Research
- 03/26/2015 - Innovative Tools for Species Inventory, Monitoring, and Management
- 11/06/2014 - New Tools for Advancing Our Understanding of Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology
- Weapons Systems and Platforms (29)
- 06/16/2022 - Corrosion Mitigation and Predictive Analysis for DoD Weapons Systems
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- 11/04/2021 - Corrosion Mitigation and Predictive Analysis for DoD Weapons Systems
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- 06/06/2019 - Developing and Demonstrating Non-Toxic and Sustainable Coating Systems for Military Platforms
- 04/25/2019 - Accelerated Corrosion and Ageing Studies
- 05/31/2018 - Resonant Acoustic Mixing of Energetic Material Formulations
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- 03/05/2015 - Understanding and Mitigating the Risks Associated with Lead-Free Electronics
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- 12/04/2014 - Waste to Energy Options for Base Camps: Efficient Tar Management and Rotary Kiln Gasification
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