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.
