IN MANY CASES OF GROUNDWATER POLLUTION, IN SITU BIOREMEDIATION MAY BE THE ONLY COST-EFFECTIVE, TIME-EFFICIENT TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY. SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT, HOWEVER, MAY REQUIRE THE PRESENCE OF METABOLICALLY CAPABLE BACTERIA IN THE POLLUTED TARGET ZONE

. IN THE ABSENCE OF A FAVORABLE GROUNDWATER GRADIENT, THE PROBLEM BECOMES ONE OF INSTALLING ENOUGH INJECTION AND RECOVERY WELLS TO DRAW NUTRIENTS OR METABOLICALLY ACTIVE BACTERIA THROUGH THE CONTAMINATED ZONE. ELECTROKINETICS IS SUGGESTED AS AN IN SITU TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR DRAWING CHARGED CONTAMINNANTS THROUGH SOIL AND AQUIFER SOLIDS TO A RECOVERY WELL. PRELIMINARY STUDIES SHOW THIS SAME TECHNOLOGY TO DIRECTIONALLY TRANSPORT MICROORGANISMS THROUGH MODEL AQUIFER SOLIDS CAN BE USED. RESEARCHERS ARE OPTIMIZING AND DEMONSTRATING THIS TECHNOLOGY WITH BACTERIA CAPABLE OF DEGRADING TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE), VINYL CHLORIDE, DICHLOROETHYLENE, AND OTHER RELATED CONTAMINANTS FROM THE SURFACE OF AQUIFER MATERIALS.