RAPID REMOVAL OF A GROUNDWATER CONTAMINANT PLUME.

L. Jeff Lefkoff; Steven M. Gorelick

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RAPID REMOVAL OF A GROUNDWATER CONTAMINANT PLUME.

L. Jeff Lefkoff·Steven M. Gorelick

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Abstract

A groundwater management model is used to design an aquifer restoration system that removes a contaminant plume from a hypothetical aquifer in four years. The design model utilizes groundwater flow simulation and mathematical optimization. Optimal pumping and injection strategies achieve rapid restoration for a minimum total pumping cost. Rapid restoration is accomplished by maintaining specified groundwater velocities around the plume perimeter towards a group of pumping wells located near the plume center. The model does not account for hydrodynamic dispersion. Results show that pumping costs are particularly sensitive to injection capacity. An 8 percent decrease in the maximum allowable injection rate may lead to a 29 percent increase in total pumping costs.

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L. Jeff Lefkoff, Steven M. Gorelick. 1985. RAPID REMOVAL OF A GROUNDWATER CONTAMINANT PLUME.. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70013120

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