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11 <br />.- • <br />In addition to the deep soil gas wells and monitoring thereof, the County is proposing to use the <br />EPA's VLEACH Modeling software in Phase 1. VLEACH is a one-dimensional, finite <br />difference model for making preliminary assessments of the effects on groundwater from the <br />migration of VOCs through the vadose zone. The program models four (4) main processes: <br />liquid -phase advection, solid -phase sorption, vapor -phase diffusion, and three-phase <br />equilibration between the liquid, solid, and vapor phases. <br />Numerous VOCs have been detected in the vadose zone at the FSL. The movement of LFG <br />from the unlined base of Module "I" at FSL is believed to be the source of VOCs in soil voids <br />within the vadose zone. It is proposed that VLEACH modeling will be conducted to estimate the <br />VOC concentrations in the vadose zone that would result in an exceedance of groundwater <br />regulatory levels for VOCs. The model provides a conservative threshold screening value to <br />evaluate soil vapor concentration in the vadose zone since no thresholds exist for LFG VOCs in <br />the vadose zone. <br />The modeling work will develop protection of groundwater soil vapor screening levels (SVSLs) <br />for 10 VOCs found in soil vapor in the vadose zone. <br />Model Description <br />VLEACH is a one-dimensional model that describes the movement of contaminants between <br />three (3) phases: (1) as solute dissolved in liquid phase, (2) as a gas in vapor phase, and (3) as an <br />adsorbed chemical in the solid phase. VLEACH estimates liquid phase advection and gaseous <br />diffusion in the vapor phase to simulate vertical transport of chemicals through the vadose zone. <br />The VLEACH Model predicts a mass flux of the chemical from the vadose zone to groundwater <br />over time. The model uses the following assumptions: <br />• Contaminant partitioning between phases follows linear relationships <br />• Liquid, vapor, sorbed phases are in a state of equilibrium in each cell <br />• Each chemical acts independently (i.e. chemical mixtures do not affect equilibrium <br />concentrations) <br />• Soil moisture content profile is constant and the vadose zone is in a steady state with <br />respect to downward water flux or recharge rate <br />• Liquid -phase dispersion is neglected <br />• No mobile non -aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) is present in the vadose zone <br />• Soil column from surface to the groundwater table is homogeneous with uniform soil <br />properties, and <br />• Chemical concentration is not subject to natural degradation in soils. <br />The use of VLEACH to determine a SVSL is a very conservative approach as laboratory column <br />studies indicate that VLEACH may overestimate the mass leached from soil to groundwater <br />(Bong, 1999). <br />Foothill Sanitary Landfill 14 Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division <br />Revised Engineering Feasibility Study County of San Joaquin — December 19, 2014 <br />