Jonathan Bailey and Dr. Wayne Downs, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Groundwater is a valuable resource. It accounts for over 99% of the earth’s available freshwater. Recognition of the value of groundwater has led to the passing of a number of laws to protect, preserve and when needed require remediation of groundwater that has been contaminated by industrial pollutants. An integral component of groundwater remediation and contaminated site management is the development of a numerical groundwater model that describes the direction and rate of flow of the groundwater. Numerical modeling of groundwater flow requires a synthesis of experience and intuition with fundamental scientific and mathematical principles.
The purpose of this research project was to develop a complete three-dimensional finite-element computer model of the groundwater in the vicinity of the Trojan Corporation munitions plant. Contaminants from the production of explosives at the plant including RDX, TNT and nitrates have made their way to the groundwater near Mapleton and Spanish Fork, Utah. A remediation effort is under way including a four-well pump & treat system, but a working groundwater model has not, until now, been developed for the site. This model will provide valuable information to facilitate future remediation strategies and site management.
Development of the model included mapping the subsurface geology, locating extraction wells and other stresses on the system, defining boundary conditions, constructing a three-dimensional mesh, choosing a computer-source code and governing equation, and running the computer source code to solve the governing equation numerically until the model was successfully calibrated to match field data. Figure 1 shows the three-dimensional mesh and material zones of the model. Figure 2 is a plan view representing the solution showing the flow directions of the groundwater. For more information on the model please see my honors thesis, Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Vicinity of Trojan Corporation Near Mapleton and Spanish Fork, Utah Using GMS and FEMWATER, available at Brigham Young University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
