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F. P. Lyford

Publications and source records attributed to F. P. Lyford.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2002

Distribution of volatile organic compounds in sediments near Sutton Brook Disposal Area, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, May 2001

Ground water at the Sutton Brook Disposal Area, a former municipal landfill in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, located adjacent to Sutton Brook, a tributary of the Shawsheen River, is contaminated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Results from the use of passive-vapor-diffusion samplers show vapor concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons as high as 500,000 parts per billion by volume in pore waters of streambed sediments along an approximate 2,000-foot reach of Sutton Brook where it flows between lobes of the former landfill. Petroleum hydrocarbons were also detected in the sediments on the eastern shore of Quarry Pond, which is south of the southern landfill lobe, with a maximum vapor concentration near 2,000 parts per billion by volume. Vapor concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in the sediments of Sutton Brook vary by two to three orders-of-magitude over distances of 50 to 100 feet. Chlorinated hydrocarbons also were detected with passive-vapor-diffusion samplers, but generally at locations downstream of where petroleum hydrocarbons were detected, and mostly at vapor concentrations of less than 100 parts per billion by volume.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Comparison of vapor concentrations of volatile organic compounds with ground-water concentrations of selected contaminants in sediments beneath the Sudbury River, Ashland, Massachusetts, 2000

A mixed plume of contaminants in ground water, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and metals, near the former Nyanza property in Ashland, Massachusetts, discharges to the Sudbury River upstream and downstream of Mill Pond and a former mill raceway. Polyethylene-membrane vapor-diffusion (PVD) samplers were installed in river-bottom sediments to determine if PVD samplers provide an alternative to ground-water sampling from well points for identifying areas of detectable concentrations of contaminants in sediment pore water near the ground-water and surface-water interface. In August and September 2000, the PVD samplers were installed near well points at depths of 8 to 12 inches in both fine and coarse sediments, whereas the well points were installed at depths of 1 to 5 feet in coarse sediments only. Comparison between vapor and water samples at 29 locations upstream from Mill Pond show that VOC vapor concentrations from PVD samplers in coarse river-bottom sediments are more likely to correspond to ground-water concentrations from well points than PVD samplers installed in fine sediments. Significant correlations based on Kendall's Tau were shown between vapor and ground-water concentrations for trichloroethylene and chlorobenzene for PVD samplers installed in coarse sediments where the fine organic layer that separated the two sampling depths was 1 foot or less in thickness. VOC concentrations from vapor samples also were compared to VOC, SVOC, and metals concentrations from ground-water samples at 10 well points installed upstream and downstream from Mill Pond, and in the former mill raceway. Chlorobenzene vapor concentrations correlated significantly with ground-water concentrations for 5 VOCs, 2 SVOCs, and 10 metals. Trichloroethylene vapor concentrations did not correlate with any of the other ground-water constituents analyzed at the 10 well points. Chlorobenzene detected by use of PVD samplers appears to be a strong indicator of the presence of VOCs, SVOCs, and metals in ground water sampled from well points at this site. Results from PVD samplers indicate that contaminant concentrations in water from well points installed 1 to 5 ft below fine sediments may not reflect concentrations in pore water less than 1 foot below the river bottom. There is insufficient information available to determine if VOC concentrations detected in PVD samplers are useful for identifying detectable aqueous concentrations of SVOCs and metals in sediment pore water at this site. Samples of pore water from a similar depth as PVD samplers are needed for confirmation of this objective.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1999

Volatile organic compounds detected in vapor-diffusion samplers placed in sediments along and near the shoreline at Allen Harbor Landfill and Calf Pasture Point, Davisville, Rhode Island, March-April 1998

Volatile organic compounds are present in ground water at the Allen Harbor Landfill and the Calf Pasture Point sites on the former Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, R.I. Vapor-diffusion samplers were used at the two sites during March-April 1998 to identify possible discharge points for contaminants along the shore of Allen Harbor and in two wetland areas near the shore. Results from vapor-diffusion samplers will be used in conjunction with other site information to evaluate proposed ground-water monitoring programs. Volatile organic compounds were detected in 41 of 115 samplers placed along the shoreline at the Allen Harbor Landfill. Trichloroethylene was the principal volatile organic compound detected of eight target compounds. The highest vapor concentration measured exceeded 300,000 parts per billion by volume in an area where TCE was detected in groundwater from nearby monitoring wells. Other chemicals detected in vapor-diffusion samplers included tetrachloroethylene, toluene, and benzene. Concentrations of individual volatile organic compounds were less than 100 parts per billion by volume in most samplers. Volatile organic compounds, principally trichloroethylene, were detected in 7 of 30 samplers placed along the shoreline at Calf Pasture Point; the highest trichloroethylene concentration was 1,900 parts per billion by volume. A trace concentration of tetrachloroethylene was detected in one of the samplers. One of 24 samplers placed in two wetland areas near the shore (suspected discharge areas for ground-water containing volatile organic compounds) detected trichloroethylene at a vapor concentration of 14 parts per billion by volume.

Rhode Island↗
USGS1984

Glacial aquifer systems in the northeastern United States; a plan for study

The U.S. Geological Survey project designed to study the availability and quality of water in glacial aquifers in the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio is scheduled for completion in 1986. It will focus on general principles that define aquifer geometry, hydraulic properties of sediments, recharge, discharge, physical-chemical properties of water, rock and water-rock interactions, and mechanisms for mixing of water from multiple sources. Planned project activities include compilation and analysis of available data for a regionwide analysis of glacial-aquifer systems, studies of selected system components such as recharge and chemical processes, classification of aquifers with regard to water-supply potential, and construction of generalized ground-water models to predict responses of types of aquifer systems to pumping and climatic stress. This report describes the general characteristics of glacial aquifer systems in the Northeastern United States and of planned work elements of the study. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1983

Water resources on the Pueblo of Laguna, west-central New Mexico

This study evaluates the quality and quantity of water available on the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico. Groundwater for public supply occurs in the valley fill along the Rio San Jose, in the Paguate and Encinal areas, and possibly in the northern part of the Sedillo Grant. The valley fill in the Rio San Jose will supply 50 to 450 gallons per minute of potable water to properly constructed wells. In the alluvium along Rio Paguate, additional development of as much as 250 gallons per minute is possible. Groundwater for irrigation is restricted by available yields and quality to the valley fill along the Rio San Jose and possibly the western part of the Major 's Ranch area. In the Rio San Jose valley yields of 50 to 450 gallons per minute of water containing 500 to 3,000 milligrams per liter are possible. Digital-model simulations of the valley-fill aquifer west of the Village of Laguna show a potential salvage of as much as 900 acre-feet per year of evapotranspiration losses if water levels are lowered. Model studies also indicate that the winter flow of the Rio San Jose could be used to recharge groundwater stored in the valley. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1982

Estimates of vertical hydraulic conductivity and regional ground-water flow rates in rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous age, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

The San Juan structural basin northwestern New Mexico was modeled in three dimensions using a finite-difference, steady-state model. The modeled space was divided into seven layers of square prisms that were 6 miles on a side in the horizontal directions. In the vertical direction, the layers of prisms ranged in thickness from 300 to 1,500 feet. The model included the geologic section between the base of the Entrada Sandstone and the top of Mesaverde Group. Principal aquifers in this section are mostly confined and include the Entrada Sandstone, the Westwater Canyon Member of the Morrison Formation , and the Gallup Sandstone. Values for vertical hydraulic conductivities from 10 to the minus 12th power to 10 to the minus 11th power feet per second for the confining layers gave a good simulation of head differences between layers, but a sensitivity analysis indicated that these values could be between 10 and 100 times greater. The model-derived steady-state flow was about 30 cubic feet per second. About one-half of the flow was in the San Juan River drainage basin about one-third in the Rio Grande drainage basin, and one-sixth in the Puerco River drainage basin. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗