Natural attenuation of 60 petroleum plumes at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, USA

A detailed study was performed at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire to document the natural attenuation of 60 petroleum plumes along the flightline refueling system. The study included the evaluation of electron acceptor and contaminant concentrations at each plume. To provide estimates of cleanup times, a simplified model was developed that could be used at each plume. This model takes into account groundwater seepage velocities, electron acceptor and contaminant concentrations, and decay rates. The results from this study indicated that natural attenuation is occurring at each of the plumes, that no single degradation process dominates, and that over 50 percent of the plumes will be remediated within 5 years.