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y <br /> 4.0 DATA ANALYSIS <br /> ' 4.1 Graphical Summary <br /> Monthly summaries of daily,air flow rates and other parameters for the quarter are included in <br /> Appendix A Because the unit operated only sporadically during the quarter, graphs of these <br /> ' paramaters were not prepared for this report However, in order to illustrate the overall long-term <br /> effects of remediation as indicated by vapor concentrations, plots of vapor concentration versus <br /> ' time since the initial start-up are shown as Figures 3 and 4 In both graphs, a single PID reading was <br /> selected as representative for each month Laboratory results for samples from the deep well are <br /> also shown in Figure 3, and for the shallow well in Figure 4 <br /> Both graphs illustrate that remediation became effective after the first three months, when <br /> equipment problems were finally solved and sustained air flow was established Over the next <br /> ' several months, marked reductions in vapor concentration were observed in both the shallow and <br /> deep zones as air flow rates were increased when the initial 4-cylinder engine was replaced by an 8- <br /> cylinder engine Vapor concentrations from the shallow zone increased and flow rates decreased <br /> ' after the 8-cylinder engine was replaced/with a new 4-cylinder engine in March 1995 Vapor <br /> concentrations from the deep zone stabilized during this period After May of 1995, vapor <br /> concentrations decreased markedly in both zones Decreased concentrations in the shallow zone <br /> ' were indicative of effective remediation, while decreases in the deep zone were attributed to a rise <br /> in the static water level above the opening of the well <br /> Vapor concentrations from the shallow zone decreased further in the third quarter of 1995, then <br /> stabilized between 500 and 1,000 ppm until early 1996 In contrast, concentrations from the deep <br /> zone began to increase in September, after the unit had been shut down for a month to allow the soil <br /> ' to relax Concentrations continued to increase until December, when the unit began to operate <br /> erratically Laboratory analysis of a sample collected in December 1995 suggested that abnormally <br /> high nitrogen concentrations were reducing the engine's efficiency during this period <br /> The deep well remained submerged below the water table in early 1996, and Apache began using it <br /> t as an air spargmg well in February Hence, concentrations from the deep zone remained near zero <br /> for most of the year Vapor concentrations measured by PID from the shallow zone rose abruptly <br /> and remained above 1,000 ppm through May, but it was unclear whether this increase was due to <br /> air sparging alone or was partly caused by cross-contamination from gasoline-saturated hoses <br /> ' and/or sample ports Therefore, new'hoses and ports were installed in May, but PID readings <br /> remained elevated, although laboratory analysis of the vapor sample collected in May showed a <br /> ' slight decline in concentrations from the previous sample in December 1995 The disparity between <br /> the PID and laboratory data was much larger than usual and could not be explained <br /> ' Figure 3 shows an abrupt increase in vapor concentrations in November 1996, after VE-2 was <br /> installed and VE-1 "deep"was disconnected VE-2 began extracting vapors from the silty or clayey <br /> zone between 35 and 50 feet, which previously had nbt been affected by extraction from either VE- <br /> 1 "shallow" or VE-1 "deep" Concentrations from this zone decreased in December 1996, but then <br /> 4 <br /> tr <br /> 1 <br />