What are contaminant plumes?

A contaminant plume is the body of groundwater that has been affected by the presence of pollutants in the soil or aquifer. The extent of the plume is determined by the presence of dissolved pollutants at concentrations above a screening level.

How do you clean up groundwater contamination?

The most basic type of groundwater remediation, uses air to strip water clean (air sparging). Another method, called pump and treat, physically removes the water from the ground and treats it by way of biological or chemical means. Both of these methods have proven successful in treating contaminated groundwater.

What can contaminate groundwater?

Contaminants Found in Groundwater Industrial discharges, urban activities, agriculture, groundwater pumpage, and disposal of waste all can affect groundwater quality. Contaminants can be human-induced, as from leaking fuel tanks or toxic chemical spills.

How does polluted water contaminate the groundwater?

Groundwater pollution can be caused by chemical spills from commercial or industrial operations, chemical spills occurring during transport (e.g. spillage of diesel fuels), illegal waste dumping, infiltration from urban runoff or mining operations, road salts, de-icing chemicals from airports and even atmospheric …

What is a plume environmental?

A plume is a column/space in air, water, or soil of one fluid moving through another that contains pollutants release from a source. A plume usually moves away from its source and widens. And a commingled plume is when two or more plumes of contaminated groundwater blend together.

What is plume delineation?

Plume Delineation means the definition through sampling, based on the Ground Water Remediation Goals, of the horizontal and vertical extent of any VOC ground- water contamination resulting from activities at the Facility or that originates at or that originates at and is emanating from the Facility.

What is plume groundwater?

Groundwater plume means groundwater that has been polluted by a release and in which one or more substances from such release is present at a concentration above the laboratory reporting limit.

How much groundwater is contaminated?

More than one in five (22 percent) groundwater samples contained at least one contaminant at a concentration of potential concern for human health.

What are some reasons that the environment becomes contaminated?

Main Causes of Soil Pollution

• Industrial Activity.
• Agricultural Activities.
• Waste Disposal.
• Accidental Oil Spills.
• Acid Rain.
• Effect on Health of Humans.
• Effect on Growth of Plants.
• Decreased Soil Fertility.

How does contaminated groundwater affect the environment?

Contamination of ground water can result in poor drinking water quality, loss of water supply, degraded surface water systems, high cleanup costs, high costs for alternative water supplies, and/or potential health problems. The consequences of contaminated ground water or degraded surface water are often serious.