The Use of Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) for Discerning Sources of Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (PCE) within a Commingled Groundwater Plume in California, USA Check Access

The assessment of groundwater contamination is frequently complicated by issues of commingling from two or more sources of contamination. Determining relative contributions of separate sources is critical in clean-up cost recovery and environmental litigation. Environmental forensics techniques have been playing an increasingly important role in being able to prove the origin of chemicals of concern. This chapter presents a case study of a complicated groundwater case in California where multiple releases of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) became commingled, and where the sources of the constituents and their associated clean-up liability were in dispute. The chapter will detail the historical characterization activities, remaining uncertainties, and how the use of an environmental forensic technique known as Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) was applied in order to discern the separate sources and associated clean-up liabilities.