Field-scale evaluation of the passive flux meter for simultaneous measurement of groundwater and contaminant fluxes.
A new method, passive flux meter (PFM), has been developed and field-tested for simultaneously measuring contaminant and groundwater fluxes in the saturated zone at hazardous waste sites. The PFM approach uses a sorptive permeable medium placed in either a borehole or monitoring well to intercept contaminated groundwater and release "resident" tracers. The sorbent pack is placed in a groundwater flow field for a specified exposure time and then recovered for extraction and analysis. By quantifying the mass fraction of resident tracers lost and the mass of contaminant sorbed, groundwater and contaminant fluxes are calculated. Here, we assessed the performance of PFMs at the Canadian Forces Base Borden field site in Ontario, Canada. Two field tests were conducted under imposed groundwater flow fields: (1) radial flow to a well and (2) linear flow in a test channel confined by sheet pile walls on three sides. Both tests demonstrate that the local fluxes measured by PFM and averaged overthe screen interval were within 15% of imposed groundwaterflow and within 30% of measured contaminant mass flux. Patterns in depth variations in groundwater and contaminant fluxes, determined by the PFM approach, allow for site characterization at a higher spatial resolution. These results support the PMF method as a potential innovative alternative for measuring groundwater and contaminant fluxes in screened wells.
Annable
Michael D
MD
Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, and Department of Civil Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. annable@ufl.edu
Hatfield
Kirk
K
Cho
Jaehyun
J
Klammler
Harald
H
Parker
Beth L
BL
Cherry
John A
JA
Rao
P Suresh C
PS
D000438:Alcohols; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005618:Fresh Water; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007700:Kinetics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009864:Ontario; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D018505:Waste Management; D014872:Water Movements; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical; D014881:Water Supply
D000438:Alcohols; D007220:Industrial Waste; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical