Field Validation of the Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAP): Establishing Regulatory Acceptance for a New Field Screening Technology

Results are presented from a comprehensive field validation effort in which measurements from a cone penetrometer deployed laser-induced fluorescence LIF sensor are compared directly with results from conventional laboratory based chemical analyses of samples collected using traditional methods. In order to minimize spatial and temporal variability associated with sampling, discrete samples were collected immediately after push measurements by overdrilling the push hole with a hollow stem auger and collecting soil samples with a split spoon sampler. Data from sites investigated to date indicate that the in situ sensor data agreesbased on a detectnon-detect criterion with EPA methods 418.1, Total Recoverable Petroleum Hydrocarbons TRPH and EPA method 8015, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons TPH approximately 85 of the time. Results indicate that this is the same level of agreement observed for comparison of the two standard laboratory methods.