Resumen del autor, extraído del trabajo. Contamination of shallow groundwater is a serious environmental problem facing industry. Selecting an appropriate approach to remediate contaminated groundwater is vital to ensure that a cost-effective solution is implemented. Remedial options range from conventional to innovative. Different techniques have pros and cons, depending upon hydrogeology, contaminant properties, remedial goals, and economics. Case histories on the following innovative techniques for treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater are presented: · constructed wetlands – enhancing natural remediation processes which occur in wetlands provides an innovative, environmentally friendly alternative to mechanical treatment of contaminated groundwater; · multi-phase extraction – using high suction at the groundwater surface dramatically increases removal rates of floating free product relative to conventional skimming. An added benefit is that soils above the groundwater are treated simultaneously; · trench and gate – the use of trenches to enable plume capture and treatment is ideally suited for hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater in low permeability sediments; · air and pure oxygen sparging – injection of air, or alternatively, pure oxygen, into the groundwater provides a subsurface alternative to pumping groundwater to surface for treatment; and, monitored natural attenuation – the use of monitoring to show that natural processes are remediating contaminated groundwater to meet clean-up goals. This approach is a low-cost, long term alternative to aggressive, engineered remediation.