Evaluation of Alternative Causes of Wide-Spread, Low Concentration Perchlorate Impacts to Groundwater
Abstract
In recent years, a number of potential non-military sources of perchlorate to groundwater have been identified, including Chilean nitrate fertilizers used for production of tobacco and select other crops. Through funding provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. (Geosyntec) and North Carolina State University (NCSU) conducted a study to estimate the potential impacts of historic and current use of Chilean nitrate fertilizers on soil and groundwater quality at two different tobacco research stations in North Carolina. Baseline analysis of soil and groundwater samples at each of the research stations failed to detect perchlorate, indicating that past Chilean nitrate fertilizer applications at these sites are not causing long-term perchlorate impacts. Analysis of soil and groundwater samples following application of a currently-available Chilean nitrate fertilizer (potassium nitrate) also failed to detect perchlorate, in large part because the amount of perchlorate in the newer available products is orders of magnitude lower than the perchlorate content of the historical Chilean nitrate fertilizer products.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA579938
Entities
People
- Evan Cox
- Mark Watling
- Wayne Robarge