The effect of aquifer heterogeneity on natural attenuation rate of BTEX

Monitored natural attenuation can be a viable option for remediation of groundwater contamination by BTEX compounds. Under the field conditions, the rate of contaminant mass attenuation through natural processes, such as biodegradation, to a large extent affected by the groundwater flow regime, which is primarily controlled by the aquifer heterogeneity. Numerical simulation techniques were used to describe quantitatively the relationship between biodegradation rate of BTEX and aquifer heterogeneity. Different levels of aquifer heterogeneity were described by random hydraulic conductivity fields (K) having different statistical parameters, the coefficient of variation (CV) and the correlation length (h). The Turning Bands Algorithm was used to generate such K fields. Visual MODFLOW/RT3D was used to simulate the fate and transport of dissolved BTEX plume within heterogeneous aquifers. The multispecies reactive transport approach described BTEX degradation using multiple terminal electron-accepting processes. First-order biodegradation rate constants were calculated from simulated BTEX plumes in heterogeneous flow fields. The results showed that aquifer heterogeneity significantly affected biodegradation rate; it decreased with increasing CV when h was in the range of up to 12 m, whereas it increased with increasing CV when h was greater than about 12 m. For well characterized aquifers, this finding could be of great value in assessing the effectiveness of natural attenuation during feasibility studies at BTEX contaminated sites.     

Groundwater modelling to help diagnose contamination problems

Aquifer remediation for a contaminated site is complex, expensive, and long-term. Groundwater modelling is often used as a tool to evaluate remedial alternatives and to design a groundwater remediation system. Groundwater modelling can also be used as a useful process to identify aquifer characteristics and contaminant behaviour that are not realized prior to modelling, to help diagnose what happened and why it happened at contaminant sites. Three real-world modelling cases are presented to demonstrate how groundwater modelling is applied to help understand contamination problems and how valuable the improved understanding is to decision-making and/or to remedial design.     

Use of geostatistical models in DNAPL source zone architecture and dissolution profiles assessment in spatially variable aquifer

Following the accidental subsurface release of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), spatial variability of physical and chemical soil/contaminant properties can exert a controlling influence on infiltration pathways and organic entrapment. DNAPL spreading, fingering, and pooling typically result in source zones characterized by irregular contaminated regions with complex boundaries. Spatial variability in aquifer properties also influences subsequent DNAPL dissolution and aqueous transport dynamics. An increasing number of studies have investigated the effects of subsurface heterogeneity on the fate of DNAPL; however, previous work was limited to the examination of the behavior of single-component DNAPL in systems with simple and well-defined aqueous and solid surface chemistry. From a DNAPL remediation point of view, such an idealized assumption will bring a large discrepancy between the designs based on the model simulation and the reality. The research undertaken in this study seeks to stochastically explore the influence of spatially variable porous media on DNAPL entrapment and dissolution profiles in the saturated groundwater aquifer. A 3D, multicomponent, multiphase, compositional model, UTCHEM, was used to simulate natural gradient water flooding processes in spatially variable soils. Porosity was assumed to be uniform or simulated using sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and sequential indicator simulation (SIS). Soil permeability was treated as a spatially random variable and modeled independently of porosity, and a geostatistical method was used to generate random distributions of soil permeability using SGS and SIS (derived from measured grain size distribution curves). Equally possible 3D ensembles of aquifer realizations with spatially variable permeability accounting of physical heterogeneity could be generated. Tetrachloroethene (PCE) was selected as a DNAPL representative as it was frequently discovered at many contaminated groundwater sites worldwide, including Thailand. The randomly generated permeability fields were incorporated into UTCHEM to simulate DNAPL source zone architecture under 96-L hypothetical PCE spill in heterogeneous media and stochastic analysis was conducted based on the simulated results. Simulations revealed considerable variations in the predicted PCE source zone architecture with a similar degree of heterogeneity, and complex initial PCE source zone distribution profoundly affected PCE recovery time in heterogeneous media when subject to natural gradient water flush. The necessary time to lower PCE concentrations below Thai groundwater quality standard ranged from 39 years to more than 55 years, suggesting that spatial variability of subsurface formation significantly affected the dissolution behavior of entrapped PCE. The temporal distributions of PCE saturation were significantly altered owing to natural gradient water flush. Therefore, soil heterogeneity is a critical factor to design strategies for characterization and remediation of DNAPL contaminated sites. The systematic and comprehensive design algorithm developed and described herein perhaps serves as a template for application at other DNAPL sites in Thailand.     

Geologic uncertainty in a regulatory environment: An example from the potential Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository site

Regulatory geologists are concerned with predicting the performance of sites proposed for waste disposal or for remediation of existing pollution problems. Geologic modeling of these sites requires large-scale expansion of knowledge obtained from very limited sampling. This expansion induces considerable uncertainty into the geologic models of rock properties that are required for modeling the predicted performance of the site.One method for assessing this uncertainty is through nonparametric geostatistical simulation. Simulation can produce a series of equiprobable models of a rock property of interest. Each model honors measured values at sampled locations, and each can be constructed to emulate both the univariate histogram and the spatial covariance structure of the measured data. Computing a performance model for a number of geologic simulations allows evaluation of the effects of geologic uncertainty. A site may be judged acceptable if the number of failures to meet a particular performance criterion produced by these computations is sufficiently low. A site that produces too many failures may be either unacceptable or simply inadequately described.The simulation approach to addressing geologic uncertainty is being applied to the potential high-level nuclear waste repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, U.S.A. Preliminary geologic models of unsaturated permeability have been created that reproduce observed statistical properties reasonably well. A spread of unsaturated groundwater travel times has been computed that reflects the variability of those geologic models. Regions within the simulated models exhibiting the greatest variability among multiple runs are candidates for obtaining the greatest reduction in uncertainty through additional site characterization.     

Geochemical investigation of groundwater contamination in Perungudi dumpsite,South India

Unscientific disposal of municipal solid waste causes groundwater contamination. The migration of leachate from the solid waste dumpsite to the aquifer varies according to the geohydrological profile of the dumpsite. A detailed study of the mechanism of leachate percolation to the groundwater helps to design a proper groundwater remediation technique. Multilevel boreholes were drilled in the periphery of the Perungudi dumpsite, Chennai, India. The major lithological layers and the geochemical analysis of the contaminant migrated from the dumpsite to the underlying aquifer has been studied. The distribution of heavy metals such as Pb, Fe, Zn, Cr, and Cd follows a similar trend in the pollutant source, groundwater samples around the dumpsite, and at various litho units beneath the dumpsite. The analysis thus helps to find an appropriate groundwater remediation technique to remove the specific contaminant and thereby provide a safe drinking water for the surrounding community.     

Assessing the saltwater remediation potential of a three-dimensional,heterogeneous, coastal aquifer system

This paper evaluates the remediation potential of a salinized coastal aquifer by utilizing a scenario simulation. Therefore, the numerical model OpenGeoSys is first validated against analytical and experimental data to represent transient groundwater level development and variable density saline intrusion. Afterwards, a regional scale model with a three-dimensional, heterogeneous hydrogeology is calibrated for a transient state and used to simulate a best-case scenario. Water balances are evaluated in both the transient calibration and scenario run. Visualization techniques help to assess the complex model output providing valuable insight in the occurring density-driven flow processes. Furthermore, modeling and visualization results give information on the time scale for remediation activities and, due to limitations in data quality and quantity reveal potential for model improvement.     

Use of mathematical modeling to investigate inter-aquifer contamination by organic-rich water through an unplugged well (central Wielkopolska, Poland)

Hydrogeological research was performed to establish the origin of organic-rich water in a Quaternary aquifer (Wielkopolska Buried Valley aquifer, Poland). The spatial distribution of such water was determined by means of multilevel sampling with a packer. The nature, spatial distribution and chemistry of the organic-rich water suggest hydraulic connection between the Quaternary aquifer and the underlying Neogene aquifer. This connection may be enabled by an old abandoned, improperly plugged well, and must therefore be considered as an artificial hydraulic connection between hydrogeologically separated aquifers. For the verification of this hypothesis, a groundwater contaminant transport model was constructed. The results of contaminant transport modeling allow the contaminant transport parameters (transverse and longitudinal dispersivity) to be identified in the field. The numerical groundwater model was used for the prognosis of organic-rich water remediation, and for specification of water-resource management principles in the region where organic-rich water occurs. The results of this research enable the verification of assumptions regarding complex groundwater flow conditions in the boundary zone of a buried valley.     

Large-diameter,non-pumped wells filled with reactive media for groundwater remediation

A groundwater flow and contaminant transport model was used to simulate arrays of non-pumped wells with reactive media for remediating contaminated groundwater. Each array featured a minimum number of wells, with identical diameter, capable of removing a contaminant plume within a hypothetical site. Simulated well diameters ranged from 0.25 m (similar to typical remediation wells) to 1.25 m (similar to large-diameter, bucket-augered wells). Both arrays occupied a linear transect located approximately 5 m downgradient of the front of a polluted enclave and oriented 90° to the hydraulic gradient. The minimum smallest diameter array contained 23 wells, whereas the minimum largest diameter array contained only four wells. Results of this study suggest that bucket-augering technology, adapted to install non-pumped wells with reactive media, may be an effective alternative for remediating contaminated groundwater in some environments.     

The effect of typical geological heterogeneities on the performance of managed aquifer recharge: physical experiments and numerical simulations

Understanding the role of geological heterogeneity on the performance of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in terms of effective groundwater storage is crucial to design MAR systems. Natural aquifers are affected by a variety of geologic strata and structures at different scales, which are responsible for wide ranging hydraulic properties. This study combines physical experiments and numerical modeling to investigate the effect of geologic structures commonly encountered in sedimentary environments, on MAR-induced groundwater flow patterns using injection wells. Models were conceptualized and parametrized based on the hydrogeological conditions of Tailan River basin in arid NW China, which hosts a typical, structurally complex, alluvial-fan aquifer system affected by sediment layering, clay lenses and anticline barriers, and is extensively studied for the strategic potential of MAR in addressing water shortages in the region. Results showed that, compared to a homogeneous scenario, high-permeability aquifer layers shortened groundwater ages, decreased the thickness of the artificially recharged water lenses (ARWLs), and shifted the stagnation points downstream. Clay lenses increased groundwater residence times but had little effect on spatial flow patterns due to their elongation parallel-to-flow direction. Overall groundwater ages, as well as the thickness of ARWLs created through injection on the upstream side of an anticline, increased, and this to a larger extent than through injection on the downstream side, which did not increase significantly compared to the homogeneous scenario. Results provide insights for MAR optimization in naturally heterogeneous aquifer systems, along with a benchmark tool for application to a wide range of typical geological conditions.

     

地下水污染场地风险管理与修复技术筛选

国际上对于地下水污染场地的控制与修复研究已经取得了许多成果,已有成功的修复实例。我国虽然起步晚,但非常重视地下水污染的防治,开展了全国范围的地下水污染调查,并进行了地下水污染的防治规划。地下水污染的控制与修复已经逐渐进入示范性研究阶段。面对地下水污染场地风险管理的不同方法,以及众多的污染修复技术,如何制定风险管理策略,如何在各种各样的修复技术中筛选合适的技术或技术组合,对于地下水污染场地的防治具有非常重要的意义。笔者分析了发达国家地下水污染风险管理策略,结合在地下水污染场地研究方面的经验,对一些主要的地下水污染修复技术进行了分析论述,提出了考虑污染物特征、场地水文地质条件的地下水污染修复技术的筛选过程和方法。     

Application of multiple-point geostatistics on modelling groundwater flow and transport in a cross-bedded aquifer (Belgium)

Sedimentological processes often result in complex three-dimensional subsurface heterogeneity of hydrogeological parameter values. Variogram-based stochastic approaches are often not able to describe heterogeneity in such complex geological environments. This work shows how multiple-point geostatistics can be applied in a realistic hydrogeological application to determine the impact of complex geological heterogeneity on groundwater flow and transport. The approach is applied to a real aquifer in Belgium that exhibits a complex sedimentary heterogeneity and anisotropy. A training image is constructed based on geological and hydrogeological field data. Multiple-point statistics are borrowed from this training image to simulate hydrofacies occurrence, while intrafacies permeability variability is simulated using conventional variogram-based geostatistical methods. The simulated hydraulic conductivity realizations are used as input to a groundwater flow and transport model to investigate the effect of small-scale sedimentary heterogeneity on contaminant plume migration. Results show that small-scale sedimentary heterogeneity has a significant effect on contaminant transport in the studied aquifer. The uncertainty on the spatial facies distribution and intrafacies hydraulic conductivity distribution results in a significant uncertainty on the calculated concentration distribution. Comparison with standard variogram-based techniques shows that multiple-point geostatistics allow better reproduction of irregularly shaped low-permeability clay drapes that influence solute transport.     

Groundwater contaminant source identification based on iterative local update ensemble smoother

Identification of the location and intensity of groundwater pollution source contributes to the effect of pollution remediation, and is called groundwater contaminant source identifcation. This is a kind of typical groundwater inverse problem, and the solution is usually ill-posed. Especially considering the spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity field, the identification process is more challenging. In this paper, the solution framework of groundwater contaminant source identification is composed with groundwater pollutant transport model (MT3DMS) and a data assimilation method (Iterative local update ensemble smoother, ILUES). In addition, Karhunen-Loève expansion technique is adopted as a PCA method to realize dimension reduction. In practical problems, the geostatistical method is usually used to characterize the hydraulic conductivity feld, and only the contaminant source information is inversely calculated in the identifcation process. In this study, the identification of contaminant source information under Kriging K-field is compared with simultaneous identification of source information and K-field. The results indicate that it is necessary to carry out simultaneous identification under heterogeneous site, and ILUES has good performance in solving high-dimensional parameter inversion problems.     

Temporal trends in concentrations of DBCP and nitrate in groundwater in the eastern San Joaquin Valley,California, USA

Temporal monitoring of the pesticide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) and nitrate and indicators of mean groundwater age were used to evaluate the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals in groundwater and to predict the long-term effects in the regional aquifer system in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California. Twenty monitoring wells were installed on a transect along an approximate groundwater flow path. Concentrations of DBCP and nitrate in the wells were compared to concentrations in regional areal monitoring networks. DBCP persists at concentrations above the US Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) at depths of nearly 40 m below the water table, more than 25 years after it was banned. Nitrate concentrations above the MCL reached depths of more than 20 m below the water table. Because of the intensive pumping and irrigation recharge, vertical flow paths are dominant. High concentrations (above MCLs) in the shallow part of the regional aquifer system will likely move deeper in the system, affecting both domestic and public-supply wells. The large fraction of old water (unaffected by agricultural chemicals) in deep monitoring wells suggests that it could take decades for concentrations to reach MCLs in deep, long-screened public-supply wells, however.     

Recharging of contaminated aquifer with reclaimed sewage water

About 40% of the water supply of Cairo, Egypt, is drawn from a groundwater reservoir located southeast of the Nile Delta. Several thousand shallow wells supply drinking water to the farmers from the same groundwater reservoir, which is recharged by seepage from Ismailia canal, the irrigation canal network, and other wastewater lagoons in the same areas. Sewage water lagoons were located at the high ground of the area, recharging contaminated water into the aquifer. Since the groundwater in this area is used for drinking purposes, it was decided to treat the sewage water recharging the aquifer for health reasons. In this paper a solution to the problem is presented using an injection well recharging good quality water into the aquifer. A pumping well located at a distance downstream is used to pump the contaminated water out of the aquifer. A three-dimensional solute transport model was developed to study the concentration distribution with remediation time in the contaminated zone.     

A GIS raster technique to optimise contaminated soil removal

A geographic information system (GIS) raster technique has been developed and used interactively with remediation designers to evaluate the optimum extent of excavating soil contaminated by chlorinated solvents. The technique and the results of its application are presented. The site was a former chemical storage plant for acids and solvents. Two distinct solvent plumes were detected within the ground using a photo-ionisation detector. The solvents were found to be dissolved in the groundwater and migrating in the general direction of groundwater flow. A remediation strategy was proposed involving the localised excavation of contamination ‘hot spots’ followed by the implementation of a groundwater remediation system. A number of excavation options were discussed and the GIS raster technique was developed to evaluate these options in terms of contaminant removed and excavation cost.

The plumes were initially mapped using a triangular irregular network (TIN). These TIN models were rasterised to produce a regular grid of rectangular cells, each cell having a value relating to the concentration of contaminant at that spatial point. The proposed excavation zones were then overlaid on to the raster models as masks. The relationship between the value of contaminant concentration of cells within the mask (or excavation zone) and the total value of contaminant concentration of cells within the solvent plume was used to determine the efficiency of the excavation.

The excavation options were compared taking into account the percentage of the contaminant plume removed, the excavation area (soil volumes) and related costs. Once the GIS raster technique had been developed, it proved very quick to rerun the analysis for the other excavation zones. The optimum excavation zone, based upon cost and contaminant recovery, was found for the site. The technique helped by targeting the worst area of contamination and provided the client with a cost-benefit analysis of the different remediation options.     

Numerical modeling of contaminant transport in a stratified heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy

The combined influence of dip angle and adsorption heterogeneity on solute transport mechanisms in heterogeneous media can be understood by performing simulations of steady-state flow and transient transport in a heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy. Reactive and non-reactive contaminant transport in various types of heterogeneous aquifer is studied by simulations. The hydraulic conductivity (K) of the heterogeneous aquifer is generated by HYDRO_GEN with a Gaussian correlation spectrum. By considering the heterogeneity of the adsorption distribution coefficient (K _d), a perfect negative correlation between lnK and lnK _d is obtained by using the spherical grains model. The generated K and K _d are used as input to groundwater flow and transport models to investigate the effects of dipping sedimentary heterogeneity on contaminant plume evolution. Simulation results showed that the magnitude of the dip angle strongly controls the plume evolution in the studied anisotropic and heterogeneous aquifer. The retarded average pore-water velocity (v/R) of the adsorption model significantly controls the horizontal spreading of the plume. The bottom plume is intensively retarded in the zones between the dipping lenses of lower hydraulic conductivity and the no-flow bottom boundary. The implications of these findings are very important for the management of contaminated heterogeneous aquifers.     

含水介质对地下水污染曝气修复的影响

为进一步研究地下水曝气原位修复技术的影响因素,采用室内实验的方法系统地研究了含水介质对原位曝气技术修复地下水污染的影响。研究结果表明:大量水相中的柴油在曝气的开始阶段被去除,随着时间的延长,污染物去除率不断增加,但增加的幅度逐渐减小。污染物去除率与时间关系曲线符合对数曲线规律,相关方程为y=alnx+b,R2=0.802 4～0.907 1,相关性较好。含水介质的渗透系数对地下水污染修复的影响较大,渗透系数与污染物的去除率基本呈正相关关系,渗透系数越大,污染物的去除率越大;含水介质密度与污染物去除率基本呈负相关关系,含水介质密度越大,污染物的去除率越小。     

非均质介质中地下水流动与溶质运移模拟——问题与挑战

对大空间尺度和长时间跨度的地下水流动及污染物质运移进行预测的需求, 使水文地质研究面临异乎寻常的挑战.这些需求来自于对核废料地质储放方法的安全性评价、地下水污染状况评价及其治理方案的选择.流动系统的非均质性是地下水流动及物质运移模拟中最主要的困难之一, 这种困难来自对非均质系统进行特征描述(通过原位观测实现)、概念化及模拟.评述了非均质介质中流动运移模拟的一些重要问题与挑战, 讨论了解决的途径.讨论的主题包括: 动力流动的沟道化, 示踪剂穿透曲线, 裂隙岩石中流体流动的多尺度, 观测的不同尺度, 模拟、预测与非均质性以及系统特征描述和预测性模拟的分析.      

Evaluation of a capture zone overlay method for designing groundwater remediation systems

 Simplified approaches are often used to model the removal of groundwater contamination. These approaches can yield poor remediation schemes because they incorrectly portray the effects of multiple pumping wells. In this study, a pumping configuration designed by graphically overlaying capture zones having an identical, quasi-elliptical shape was evaluated with a numerical mass transport model. After a 3-year period (within which the hypothetical aquifer was to be remediated) the contaminant mass had been reduced by 77%. Due to stagnation zones which developed between extraction wells, approximately 15 years of pumping was required to remediate the aquifer with the overlay configuration. An alternative design, consisting of an extraction well between two injection wells along the long axis of the plume, removed the contaminant within the 3-year design period. Received: 23 October 1995 · Accepted: 18 June 1996