ABSTRACT
A thorough understanding of the geologic and hydrologic regime is essential in a site assessment. For new sites, it is important to define existing hydrogeologic conditions so that the proposed facility may be properly constructed to minimize possible contamination of the ground water. For acquisitions or expansions to existing facilities, it is important to understand the hydrogeology of the region and the site so that the extent of any prior releases to the environment can be determined and proper corrective action implemented. Assessment monitoring programs under Superfund or RCRA also require full evaluation of hydrogeologic conditions to quantify the rate and extent of contamination. Many of the aquifer characteristics established in the Phase II field assessment program will be directly applicable to design of the remediations for the facility. Phase II field investigations are the first third of the site characterization and design of the ground-water monitoring system, as illustrated in Figure 3-1.
