Decision Analysis for Pump-and-Treat Design

The use of decision analysis (DA) has been proposed as a technique for selecting from among alternative designs for subsurface remediation. To assess the ability of DA to generate consistent decisions for the widely practiced pump-and-treat (PAT) strategy, 27 candidate PAT designs were compared for a case study site. The sensitivity of the alternative selection to various modeling assumptions was examined, including the complexity of the site-specific numerical models, the assumed degree of aquifer heterogeneity, the manner of defining failure, and the assumed cost of failure. The initial net-present-worth analysis resulted in the selection of one of two designs that included injection wells for effluent disposal and hydraulic control. However, when the injection wells were excluded from consideration, the selection from a diverse set of alternative PAT designs was highly sensitive to the particular modeling assumptions. In general, the practical usefulness of the DA approach is dependent on the ability to characterize the nature and probability of system failure.