The new OSU tests are five to 10 times less expensive and take much less time - hours or days, instead of months or years. They also give just as much or more information than the more traditionally used methods, which may take many years and cost millions of dollars to complete. We think our new methods help us get into the field more quickly and inexpensively and get to the cleanup stage sooner. And we learn about the factors that influence the whole system - the physical, chemical, biological.
Managers are a lot more willing to start clean up if they can see initial results sooner.
Rather than start with small experiments in the lab as most scientists do, Istok and his colleagues jump into the field right away. Their test is much quicker than the more standard methods where test solutions are injected into one well, then measured in other wells in the aquifer. It can also give us information on how best to clean up the groundwater. Working with the team to develop test solutions to inject down the wells in the push-pull tests is Michael Hyman, a microbial ecologist in OSU's Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Hyman looks at the influence of microorganisms, especially their role in cleaning up fuel and solvent spills.