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WGR <br /> WESTERN GEOLOGIC RESOURCES INC. <br /> STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE <br /> RE: SOIL VAPOR SURVEY <br /> SOP 1 <br /> VAPOR POINT INSTALLATION <br /> For a standard soil vapor survey (SVS), a minimum of 8 to 15 vapor points are installed and <br /> samples. The vapor points are drilled with a Giddings Soil Probe using 2 inch diameter solid flight augers. <br /> Two different depths are drilled at each sampling location. The depths are dependent upon depth to first <br /> ground water, soil conditions, underground obstacles and the specific objectives of the investigation. <br /> Five-eighth in stainless steel hollow rods equipped with a slotted aluminum sampling tip and 3/16 in <br /> diameter polypropylene tubing are installed in the augerhole and driven to the desired sampling depth. <br /> The hollow rods are then pulled back about 0.2 ft to expose the slots of the sampling tip for vapor <br /> extraction. Once the shallow vapor point has been sampled the hollow rods and tubing are removed and <br /> the hole is advanced to the second desired sampling depth and sampled as above. The augerhole is <br /> abandoned with quick setting cement after all instrumentation is removed. In some cases, the points <br /> cannot be driven any deeper and are set at the drilling depth. Auger holes are not drilled into ground <br /> water. However,if ground water is encountered the augerhole is grouted up immediately to above the <br /> ground water level. <br /> VAPOR SAMPLING TECHNIQUE <br /> All vapor points will be purged with a SKC Aircheck sampling pump prior to sampling. This is <br /> done to remove any air that may remain from the installation of the vapor point. Samples are extracted <br /> from the vapor point and collected in 250 microliter (ul)gas tight syringes. The entire 250 ul volume of <br /> the syringe is injected into the Photovac 10550 portable gas chromatograph (GC) for analysis. This <br /> volume is used because the GC is calibrated to a 250 ul standard of benzene or benzene, toluene and <br /> xylene (BTX). If extracted vapor appears to contain high enough concentrations to saturate the GC <br /> column,the sample is diluted by partially filling the syringe with a desired volume of soil vapor and filling <br /> the remainder of the syringe with ambient air. The diluted vapor sample is injected into the GC for <br /> analysis. If the chromatograph peaks exceed the scale of the GC,thevalues are reported as"greater than". <br /> QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL PROTOCOL <br /> Prior to sampling,all syringes are checked for any detectable vapors. This quality assurance / <br /> quality control (QA/QC)check is conducted by collecting 250 ul of ambient air and injecting it into the <br /> GC for analyses. The column is also checked periodically to ensure that it is not contaminated by injecting <br /> the carrier gas,hospital grade compressed gas, directly into the column. If any residual vapors remain, <br /> the GC will detect them. The syringes and columns are replaced if significant contamination is found <br /> during the process. Vapor point drilling and drive equipment are cleaned with water and trisodium <br /> phosphate (TSP) prior to drilling each new sampling point. The syringes are cleaned and purged with <br /> carrier gas between sampling points and they are steam-cleaned between projects. <br /> Method detection limit calculations have shown that detectable concentrations of volatile <br /> hydrocarbons,and/or benzene,greater than 6 ppm have a 95-percent confidence level as determined by <br /> the method detection limit procedure in 40 CFR,Part 136,Appendix A: Definition and Procedure for <br /> the Determination of the Method Detection Limit. Concentrations less than 6 ppm are within the <br /> instrument's capability of detection,but the confidence limit is extremely low. Therefore,any readingless <br /> than 6 ppm is reported as"non-detectable. <br /> SOKOAS <br />