This paper presents the results of the evaluation of contamination in the Saldanha Creek basin, caused by an oil spill at Refinaria Presidente Getúlio Vargas belonging to PETROBRAS, in Araucária – state of Paraná, which occurred on July 16, 2000. The oil reached Saldanha stream following 4 distinct paths and, over its course, overflowed the canal banks contaminating a total of 17.70 hectares of existing wetlands. The oil infiltration into the subsoil occurred in two main areas: (1) around the scraper, which is where most of the oil was infiltrated (approximately 43,000 liters of oil in free phase); (2) in Wetland 4, where the contaminant is mainly adsorbed to the soil particles. The characteristics of the former favor the implementation of a subsurface drainage system, with an oil separator. In the second, flooding the area would allow the removal of part of the contaminant by a difference of density, and part with a reactive barrier to which the groundwater flow would be induced.

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