Mass transport modelling for assessement of groundwater contamination around Mathura oil refinery, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

Mathura oil refinery was commissioned during 1977 and effluent storage ponds were constructed at the same time. These storage ponds receive wastewater from the refinery at a rate of 10000 m³/day. After treatment, waste water is discharged through a 3-km pipeline to a stream leading to the Yamuna river. The groundwater-monitoring as well as water-quality monitoring was carried at 24 observation wells in the refinery site during 1997. The water quality measurements indicated total dissolved chloride and sulphate concentration of native groundwater as 400 mg/l, whereas elevated levels up to 600 mg/l were found at the wells close to polishing ponds. Thus combined transport of chloride and sulphate was simulated in the mass transport model. A three-dimensional flow, pathlines and mass transport model of the aquifer system were constructed to analyze the impact of seepage from polishing ponds contaminating the groundwater regime. The permeability of aquifer varies between 1.5–2.5 m/day. The porosity of formation was assumed as 0.2. The constant head and constant concentration boundaries were assigned to the nodes representing effluent storage ponds. Longitudinal dispersivity of 100 m, horizontal transverse dispersivity of 10 m and vertical transverse dispersivity of 0.01 m were assumed. The mass transport model was calibrated for 20 years by comparing total dissolved chloride and sulphate concentrations from 1997. The model predictions indicate further migration of contaminants on the east of effluent ponds in future. Received: 4 January 1999 · Accepted: 12 July 1999