Groundwater remediation

Groundwater remediation treats or manages contaminated groundwater to reduce pollutants and protect human health and the environment.

Pump and treat: A remediation method that pumps contaminated groundwater to the surface for treatment and disposal or reinjection. It removes water from the aquifer so pollutants can be treated above ground.
Groundwater: Water occupying the pores and fractures beneath Earth's surface. Remediation targets this subsurface water and the pollutants it carries.
Chlorinated solvent contamination: Groundwater pollution by chlorinated organic solvents such as trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Dense solvent releases can form persistent source zones that challenge remediation.
Exposure pathway: The route by which a contaminant moves from a source to a person or ecological receptor. Interrupting pathways such as well-water use can reduce harm before cleanup is complete.
In situ chemical oxidation: A method that injects chemical oxidants underground to transform contaminants into less harmful substances. It destroys some pollutants within the aquifer without pumping all contaminated water to the surface.
Aquifer: A permeable geological formation that stores and transmits usable quantities of groundwater. Its permeability and geometry control how treatment reaches contamination.
Arsenic contamination of groundwater: Groundwater containing arsenic at concentrations that may threaten human health or exceed drinking-water standards. Arsenic often requires controlling its mobility rather than destroying it.
Drinking water standards: Legal or advisory limits on contaminants in water intended for human consumption. Standards can define protective concentration targets for groundwater cleanup.
Permeable reactive barrier: An underground treatment zone that intercepts groundwater and removes or transforms contaminants as water flows through it. It treats a contaminant plume passively along its natural flow path.
Contaminant plume: A subsurface zone of contaminated groundwater extending from a pollution source. Plume shape and movement guide monitoring and treatment design.

Linked from 9 pages