A trichloroethene (TCE) plume has been identified in an unconfined sand aquifer in Perth, Western Australia. This is the first known major occurrence of groundwater contamination by chlorinated aliphatic compounds in Perth. A small-scale (ca. 13m), natural-gradient tracer test, utilizing deuterated TCE (TCEdl) and potassium bromide, was undertaken within the TCE plume to determine hydrodynamic and sorptive properties of TCE in the aquifer. No sorption of TCEdl was observed, which is in contrast to a retardation coefficient estimate of 1.8, calculated from equations based on the organic carbon fraction of the aquifer sand. A low dispersivity of the aquifer material was calculated, indicating that dispersion was negligible with respect to the advective flow. Variable advective flow at distinct levels in the aquifer profile is shown to produce tailing of the depth-averaged breakthrough curves. The C-D bond of the deuterated TCE was stable, indicating the usefulness of deuterated TCE as a tracer within the contaminated zone.
Title
Using deuterated trichloroethylene (TCE) in a tracer test to estimate the transport characteristics of a TCE plume
Series
IAHS Series of Proceedings and Reports, 225
Conference
Groundwater Quality: Remediation and Protection, Prague, Czech Republic, 15 - 18 May 1995
Date
1995
Publisher
IAHS Press, Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, International Association of Hydrological Sciences
ISBN
0-947571-29-9
Note
Once a groundwater system becomes contaminated, it is often a formidable task to clean it up. Many contaminants are persistent and remain hazardous even at low concentrations. This publication comprises the proceedings of the International Conference on Groundwater Quality: Remediation and Protection (GQ’95) held at Prague in May 1995. The major objective of the conference was to discuss the full range of issues involved in groundwater remediation and protection. The conference focused on practical approaches to assess groundwater quality, viable solutions to contamination problems, and methods for protection. The volume contains 54 papers spread over the following topics : Field and laboratory investigations, monitoring (6 papers) Physical, chemical and biological processes (14 papers) Stochastics, variability and uncertainty (5 papers) Modelling (10 papers) Contamination sources: waste disposal, mining, industry and agriculture (9 papers) Remediation (6 papers) Protection and regulatory issues (4 papers)
Record creation date
2005-12-09