Identification of contaminant transport pathways beneath industrial sites

R. J. Lunn*, A. Vickery, B. Hobbs, B. Ngwenya

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Site investigation is generally described by a number of source-pathway-target scenarios in which the sources of contamination on a site (e.g. buried waste) the transport pathways (e.g. groundwater) and the targets (e.g. nearby water bodies) are all identified. Typical commercial site investigation focuses almost exclusively on identifying contaminant sources. The only information to characterise potential subsurface pathways is that derived from a few boreholes and temporary piezometers. Yet an understanding of transport pathways both on and off site contributes substantially to any risk assessment procedure and also improves confidence in locating existing contaminant pools that may already have migrated from the source. In this research, a combination of geophysical surveys, laboratory techniques and groundwater modelling are successfully employed to identify potential transport pathways. The results of these investigations have led to a changed understanding of both the contaminant source distribution and the transport pathway characterisation beneath two former oil distribution sites in the Granton district of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)287-299
Number of pages13
JournalLand Contamination and Reclamation
Volume8
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - 2000

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Contaminant
  • Geophysics
  • Groundwater
  • Hydrogeology
  • Non-invasive surveys
  • Resistivity soil conductivity
  • Site investigation
  • Transport pathways

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