Environmental Risk Assessment, Fate and Transport Modeling, and Public Water System Evaluation for Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination
RoseyFields conducted a comprehensive environmental exposure assessment following a significant jet fuel release from an underground fuel storage and distribution facility into a nearby groundwater aquifer. Our team evaluated the subsequent intrusion and widespread contamination of a large-scale, interconnected public drinking water system. The primary chemicals of concern evaluated in our assessment included total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), specifically diesel-range organics, along with various dissolved-phase hydrocarbons, emulsified fuel additives, and volatile aliphatic and aromatic compounds.
To accurately quantify contaminant concentrations throughout the expansive drinking water network, RoseyFields performed rigorous environmental modeling and technical analyses. We utilized a well-mixed mass balance model to evaluate the fate and transport of the petroleum hydrocarbons within the complex distribution infrastructure, accounting for system-wide interconnectedness, fluctuating storage tank levels, and hydraulic flushing operations. Our team also reviewed chemical fingerprinting data and evaluated multiple human health exposure pathways, comprehensively assessing risks associated with the ingestion of contaminated water, dermal absorption during domestic water use, and the inhalation of toxic vapors released from both residential tap water and large-scale system flushing activities.
To characterize the affected population and determine the spatial extent of the exposure, we performed extensive geospatial analysis and synthesized long-term environmental monitoring data. By evaluating the spatial and temporal distribution of system-wide water quality testing results alongside comprehensive community complaint logs regarding chemical odors and water sheens, our experts identified that the contamination had permeated all operational pressure and flushing zones. We successfully established that the complex engineering of the water distribution system led to persistent, system-wide mixing, characterizing the entire population relying on the utility as a broadly exposed class impacted by the petroleum constituents.
This investigation was conducted under the direction of Dr. Paul Rosenfeld, an environmental scientist and environmental forensic expert with extensive experience in environmental exposure assessment, toxicology, air quality, environmental fate and transport, risk assessment, and environmental forensics. Through RoseyFields LLC, Dr. Rosenfeld provides scientific consulting, environmental forensic analysis, regulatory support, and expert witness services involving environmental contamination, human exposure, and public health. His technical oversight helped ensure that the methodologies, scientific interpretations, and conclusions presented in this case study are consistent with accepted scientific principles and current best practices.