AWWA JAW30408

Polybutylene pipes (0.75 in.) buried in both water-saturated and unsaturated soils contaminated with toluene, trichloroethylene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, and o-chlorophenol were permeated to detectable levels in 1 to 150 days, depending on the organic chemical and its concentration. Comparison of these results with pipe-bottle experiments containing no soil showed that the concentration of organic chemical in the soil pore controls the rate of organic chemical permeation through buried plastic pipes. The results also indicate that under otherwise identical conditions, plastic pipes buried in a soil of high organic carbon content will be permeated more slowly than pipe buried in a soil of low organic carbon content. Even so, soils of very high organic carbon content cannot be relied on to protect plastic pipe from permeation by organic chemicals. A method for predicting the equilibrium concentration of organic chemical in the soil pore was useful in determining whether a plastic pipe buried in contaminated soil is likely to be permeated. Includes 21 references, tables, figures.