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Spreadsheet Tools for Quantifying Seepage Flux Across the GW‐SW Interface
Citation:
Ford, Robert G., Bob K. Lien, Steven D. Acree, AND Randall R. Ross. Spreadsheet Tools for Quantifying Seepage Flux Across the GW‐SW Interface. WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 57(1):e2019WR026232, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026232
Impact/Purpose:
Surface water bodies adjacent to sites with contaminated groundwater may receive impacts that impair otherwise functional ecosystems and create new exposure pathways, increasing human health risks. This article illustrates use of newly developed spreadsheet-based calculation tools for estimation of seepage flux using sediment temperature profile data from a Superfund case study. Illustration of the site characterization method, coupled with free, easy-to-use calculation tools, provides a cost-effective approach for assessing contaminated groundwater impacts to surface water. This resource will be useful to project managers and technical staff from USEPA Regions, State Environmental Agencies, and Remediation Contractors involved with cleanup of hazardous waste sites.
Description:
Identifying the spatial distribution and magnitude of seepage flux across the groundwater‐surface water (GW‐SW) interface is critical for assessing potential impairments and restoration alternatives for water bodies adjacent to sites with groundwater contamination. Measurement of the vertical distribution and time‐varying characteristics of temperature in sediments provides an indirect way to map out spatial and temporal patterns of seepage flux into surface water. Two spreadsheet‐based calculation tools are introduced that implement four one‐dimensional analytical solutions to calculate the magnitude and direction of seepage flux based on measurement of steady‐state vertical temperature profiles or transient diel temperature signals at two depths within sediment.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Spreadsheet Tools for Quantifying Seepage Flux Across the GW‐SW Interface
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