Assessment of potential groundwater contamination sources in a wellhead protection area

2001 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.A. Harman ◽  
C.J. Allan ◽  
Randall D. Forsythe
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Contamination Sources ◽  
Wellhead Protection ◽  
Protection Area ◽  
Potential Groundwater

Development and Applications of a Wellhead Protection Area Delineation Computer Program

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Guiguer ◽  
T. Franz
Keyword(s):  
Case History ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Wellhead Protection ◽  
First Case ◽  
Protection Area ◽  
And Storage ◽  
The Town

In the last few years, groundwater management has concentrated on the protection of groundwater quality. An increasing number of countries has adopted policies to protect vital groundwater resources from deterioration by regulating human interaction with the subsurface, the use of potential contaminants, land use restrictions, and waste transport and storage. One of the more common regulatory approaches to the protection of groundwater focuses on public water supplies to reduce the potential of human exposure to hazardous contaminants. Under the framework of the Safe Drinking Water Act amended by U.S. Congress in 1986, The U.S.EPA (1987) issued guidelines for the delineation of wellhead protection areas, recommending the use of analytical and numerical models for the identification of such areas. In this study, the theoretical background for the development of one such numerical model is presented. Two real-world applications are discussed: in the first case history, the model is applied to a Superfund Site in Puerto Rico as a tool for assessment of the effectiveness of a proposed pump-and-treat scheme for aquifer remediation. Based on simulation results for the evolution of the existing contaminant plume it was verified that such a scheme would not work with the proposed purging wells. The second case history is the delineation of a wellhead protection area in the Town of Littleton, Massachusetts, and subsequent design of a monitoring well network.

Delineation of Wellhead Protection Areas: Theory and Practice

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tereza C. B. F. Cleary ◽  
Robert W. Cleary
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Groundwater Protection ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pollution Sources ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Safe Operation ◽  
Wellhead Protection ◽  
Protection Area ◽  
Potential Pollution

A preventive approach in groundwater protection programs throughout Europe and the United States, and almost unknown in Brazil, is to define the surface and subsurface areas, the Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA), from which a well or wellfield draws its water during a specified time. Overlaying a map of potential pollution sources on the delineated WHPA (Figure 1), those sources which fall within the WHPA boundaries are identified as definite threats, that need to be closely monitored, to the continued safe operation of the wellfield. Given the importance of effectively delineating the WHPA to protect public water supplies, the current delineation criteria, methods, and zones are presented, as well as analytical and numerical PC model analyses of different hydrogeological scenarios' effects on WHPA's size, shape and direction. Numerical models are shown to more accurately define WHPAs by taking into account the surrounding heterogeneous and anisotropic geology.

scholarly journals A system for modelling groundwater contamination in water supply areas: chloride contamination from road de-icing as an example

2006 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Chloride Concentration ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Transport Models ◽  
The Road ◽  
Potential Groundwater ◽  
Pumping Rates ◽  
Different Parts

A system for modelling groundwater contamination in water supply areas is presented, consisting of the flow and transport models, MACRO for the unsaturated zone and MOC for the groundwater zone, coupled to the geographical information system, IDRISI. A graphical user interface links the different parts of the system. The system was applied to a water supply area located close to a major road south of Stockholm. Chloride was used as an indicator in determining the risk for groundwater contamination from the road. The future chloride concentration in the aquifer was predicted and the effects of different pumping rates on the chemistry of the water supply well were tested. Modelling results showed that the chloride concentration in the aquifer will increase substantially due to road de-icing and that it will take decades to lower the chloride concentration down to the original background values after an end to the use of de-icing salt. The system may serve as a valuable tool in a planning context. Potential groundwater contamination scenarios can be simulated, and alternative groundwater management strategies can be evaluated.

Potential Groundwater Contamination with Toxic Metals in and Around an Abandoned Zn Mine, Korea

2005 ◽  
Vol 165 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 167-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Y. Lee ◽  
J. C. Choi ◽  
M. J. Yi ◽  
J. W. Kim ◽  
J. Y. Cheon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Contamination ◽  
Toxic Metals ◽  
Potential Groundwater
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