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Petroleum Related Contamination

Salt scar area below the brine pit at Site B's active tank battery. The salt scar had been remediated and revegetated in November 1999; however, most of the grasses have since died and erosion has started again. Skiatook Lake, Okla., can be seen in the background
Salt scar area below the brine pit at Site B's active tank battery. The salt scar had been remediated and revegetated in November 1999; however, most of the grasses have since died and erosion has started again. Skiatook Lake, Okla., can be seen in the background -- from the Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research Project

Bibliography 403 Publications

Subsurface spills of petroleum compounds (crude oil, gasoline, and gasoline additives) may be the most frequently cited cause of ground-water contamination. USGS scientists and their partners are developing information and tools essential for effective remediation and long-term management of fuel spills. A major theme of this research is the effectiveness and practical limitations of Natural Attenuation for treatment of sites with petroleum related contamination. Research has been conducted at 4 research sites:

Crude Oil Contamination in a Shallow Outwash Aquifer -- Bemidji, Minnesota

Oxygenated Gasoline -- Laurel Bay, South Carolina

Produced Water -- Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research Project, Oklahoma

Gasoline -- Galloway Township, New Jersey [Completed]

Other Program Petroleum Related Research

Program Headlines on Petroleum Related Research

Fact Sheets

Upcoming Publications

  • Loss of volatile hydrocarbons from an LNAPL oil source: Baedecker, M.J., Eganhouse, R.P., Bekins, B.A., and Delin, G.N., Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2011.06.006 (IN PRESS).
  • Magnetic susceptibility as a proxy for investigating microbial mediated iron reduction: Mewafy, F., Atekwana, A., Werkema, D.D., Slater, L., Ntarlagiannis, D., Revil, A., Skold, M., and Delin, G., Geophysical Research Letters (IN PRESS).

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