HR: 0830h
AN: H21E-0895    [PDF]
TI: Optimal Management Strategy for Groundwater Protection and Restoration Along with Discussions on Related Issues
AU: * Wang, M
EM: mingyuwpan@yahoo.com
AF: Shaw Environmental, Inc., Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center, 919 Kerr Research Dr., Ada, OK 74820 United States
AB: Contamination of groundwater systems is an increasingly critical problem. The limited available resources or budget for groundwater protection and restoration and sustainable development in a country or region require a corresponding strategy for groundwater protection and restoration to maximize resource or budget utilization and minimize an adverse impact on the sustainable development. An innovative strategy for groundwater protection and restoration has been established based on the optimization principles and considerations of both risk assessments of groundwater contamination and difficulties or costs of groundwater remediation and protection measures. Site investigations and groundwater modeling are two critical components to implement this strategy. Cost for groundwater protection and restoration can be categorized as Existing Contaminated Site Investigation Cost (ECSIC), Existing Contaminated Site Remediation Cost (ECSRC), Projected Contamination Site Investigation Cost (PCSIC), Projected Contamination Site Protection Cost (PCSPC), and Projected Contamination Site Remediation Cost (PCSRC). The objective function for optimization analyses consists of risk reduction components with variables of the above different costs from all individual site remediation and protection measures. The optimal distribution of the limited available resources is determined by such proper selections of those variables that the objective function reaches its maximum. Several important issues related to implementations of the strategy for groundwater protection and restoration are discussed. Those issues include uncertainty from aquifer heterogeneity, modeling for fractured geologic media, irreversible sorption, and implementations of natural attenuation. Specifically, Monte Carlo simulations through a numerical flow and transport model can be performed to develop a heterogeneity dispersivity matrix to account for the effects of different attributes of aquifer heterogeneity. In addition, two alternatives including discrete fracture groundwater flow modeling and REV (Representative Elementary Volume) equivalent continuum approaches are discussed for groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling in fractured rocks. Moreover, irreversible sorption or slow desorption could significantly increase remediation time and cost. Therefore, it is important to appropriately determine and apply the desorptive partition coefficients under various soil conditions for modeling. Finally, differences of the sequence and contents for analyses and assessment of feasibility of natural attenuation are examined between existing contaminated sites and projected contamination sites.
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1832 Groundwater transport
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting