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PREVENTING CONTAMINATION OF PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY WELLS USING COMPUTERIZED MODELING AND MAPPING TOOLS
Citation:
Kraemer, S R. PREVENTING CONTAMINATION OF PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY WELLS USING COMPUTERIZED MODELING AND MAPPING TOOLS. Presented at Science Forum 2003, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
Improve the scientific understanding of the processes controlling nutrient distributions in surface waters. Produce a suite of enhanced models for characterizing nutrient distributions in surface waters by incorporating improved process understanding in existing models (e.g., WASP), by developing new models (e.g., WHAM, reactive transport), and improving linkages between model components.
Description:
The EPA Office of Research and Development and the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water have collaborated since 1998 on the development of a public domain ground-water flow modeling system designed to facilitate capture zone delineation and protection area mapping for public water supply wells in the United States. This activity is authorized by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and implemented through the state and tribe Wellhead Protection Programs (WHPP) and Source Water Assessment Planning (SWAP). The 32-bit windows software, called WhAEM2000, provides an interactive computer environment for the delineation of protection areas based on radius methods, well in uniform-flow solutions, and geohydrologic modeling methods. Protection areas are designed with and overlaid upon US Geological Survey Digital Line Graph (DLG) or other electronic base maps. Base maps for the country and the WhAEM2000 software are available for download from the EPA Center for Exposure Assessment Modeling web site. Geohydrologic modeling for steady pumping wells, including the influence of hydrological boundaries, such as rivers, recharge, no-flow boundaries, and inhomogeneity zones, is accomplished using the state-of-the-art numerical modeling technique known as the analytic element method. Reverse gradient tracelines of known residence time emanating from the pumping center are used to delineate the capture zones. WhAEM2000 has on-line help and tutorials, and good modeling practice documentation. A "Working with WhAEM2000" case study is available for the wellfield of Vincennes, Indiana, which is located in the glacial outwash of the Wabash River. The software development team includes Haitjema Consulting, LLC (Bloomington, IN), Computer Sciences Corp (Athens), and WHPA Inc (Bloomington, IN). It is anticipated that managing the potential for leaks and spills of contaminants in the properly delineated source water protection zone will result in better water quality at the faucet for millions of Americans.