REGIONAL TELEPHONE COMPANY
A geochemical investigation was conducted for a regional telephone company by Exploration Technologies, Inc. ("ETI") in the vicinity of the buried telephone right-of-way. For this study, water samples and ambient air samples were collected from within telephone conduit manholes at and near the Site. Additionally, air samples were collected from the pressurized phone line cables within two of these manholes. Some four foot deep and some seven foot deep soil vapor samples were collected using ETI's proprietary sampling techniques.
Survey sample placement was guided by four objectives: (1) verify the existence of gasoline contamination reported in the telephone conduit manhole; (2) determine if contamination is present in other manholes that are located along the cable conduit run; (3) establish whether a gasoline station located nearby is the source of the gasoline reported at the Site and (4) assess the possibility of gasoline being pooled under the highway where the telephone cable run extends between two manholes.
Analytical results include measurement of the light hydrocarbons in the methane through butane (C1-C4) range as well as the gasoline (C5+) range hydrocarbons. Concentration maps were prepared to illustrate the horizontal distributions for methane, ethane, propane, normal-butane and C5+ gasoline range hydrocarbons from the soil vapor samples. The maps, plus data derived from the water, ambient air, and pressurized phone line cables, leads to the following site characterization conclusions:
(a) Gasoline and its associated vapors are clearly present.
(b) The service station north of the Site appears to be the source of gasoline contamination found in this manhole.
(c) There is a good possibility that gasoline contamination exists under the highway near where the telephone cable run crosses this major traffic artery.
