The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Key to Remediation

By Thomas Kwader P.G., Ph.D.
June 21, 2001
Thomas Kwader tells us it never ceases to amaze him that site remediation systems are designed and installed frequently without knowing the extent of soil and groundwater contamination and the flow path(s) that groundwater migrates beneath a site.

ALFA Environmental Remediation Services Inc.


Griffin Remediation Services Inc.
It never ceases to amaze me that site remediation systems are designed and installed frequently without knowing the extent of soil and groundwater contamination and the flow path(s) that groundwater migrates beneath a site. In some ways, it's like trying to clean a house that you have never been in, in the dark, with a bag over your head. You may think you are doing a good job, but you don't even have enough information to assess your effort.

When remediating a site, follow these steps: 1) locate the source of soil and groundwater contamination, 2) remove and/or isolate the source from additional contamination, 3) recover groundwater at "hottest" spot(s) in order to minimize additional groundwater contamination, and 4) recover groundwater near the leading edge of the plume in order to minimize migration from moving further down gradient.

Admittingly, there are other remedial methods used instead of "pump and treat" such as, air sparging, introduction of oxygen, nutrients, bugs, etc. All these approaches rely heavily upon a good understanding of the site hydrogeology and the factors affecting groundwater flow at the site.

The most effective methods rely upon removing the highest mass of contamination possible (contaminant mass = concentration of contaminant x flow rate). The fastest way to increase mass removal is to increase the concentration and pump the highest levels of contamination possible.

The density of the contaminant should strongly be considered when designing the recovery system. If the contaminant is a motor fuel or light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), most likely the highest concentrations will be near the top of the water column. However, this needs to be confirmed by sampling the water column at multiple discrete depths. Heavier than water contaminants such as chlorinated solvents, pesticides and other dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) will tend to concentrate at the bottom of aquifers or on top of aquicludes (clays, shales, bedrock, etc.). This is where knowing the hydrogeology is real important. In some cases, lowering the screen 10 feet can increase the concentration by a factor of 10 or more. A fracture, valley or buried sinkhole filled with sand can direct groundwater flow in a direction very different than the topography. Detailed piezometer maps made from numerous piezometer/wells will help in identifying detail groundwater flow direction(s).

Finally, do not ignore observed contaminant concentrations. Piezometers/ wells highest in contamination generally have a more direct connection to the source, even if they do not appear to be down gradient. It is suggested to collect numerous cores, split spoons, soil samples and borehole geophysical logs and compare the samples from borehole to borehole. If you can't match up the layers from the cores, it is highly likely that the hydrogeology is understood well enough to design a groundwater recovery system.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Thomas Kwader, Ph.D. , P.G., is a regular contributor to The Driller.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    The Underground Network
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Markets
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Markets
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

Tariffs

Tariffs Shake Up the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Fracturing Technologies to Enhance Remediation – Part 1

    See More
  • Fracturing Technologies to Enhance Remediation – Part 4

    See More
  • Fracturing Technologies to Enhance Remediation – Part 3

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Safety from Start to Finish

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\a-builders-guide-to-wells-a.gif

    A Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Second Edition

  • Building Blocks to Think Like a Driller

See More Products

Related Directories

  • DrillerDB

    Streamline your drilling operations both in the field and the office. DrillerDB offers cloud-based tools for invoicing, depth estimates, form generation, and more - helping you save time and focus on what you do best. We offer a cloud-based software built for drillers by drillers that includes: - Proposals - Project Mapping - Depth Estimation - Rig Scheduling - Customer Managment - File Upload - Field Well Log Filling - + Much more!
  • Waterline Envirotech Ltd.

    Waterline Envirotech Ltd. is a small woman-owned and operated business, for over 40 years it has served all sectors of the water well industry. Our instruments feature strong, flexible tapes with stainless steel conductors on a free-standing, braked reel. We manufacture our products here in the USA.
  • Allegheny Instruments Inc.

    GeoVISION borehole video camera systems. Portable systems and small-diameter cameras to inspect water wells and boreholes, with interchangeable cameras including joystick-controlled Motorized Pan and Tilt, Dual Scan Micro camera, and our 3/4-inch diameter Nano camera. Manual and electric winches to 2,000 feet. Made in the USA since 1989.
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP