Contamination in Fractured Rock Aquifers
Bedrock wells at the site have packers that isolate the most permeable sections from each other. This is a view of an equipment box mounted on top of a well casing. Float-counterweight equipment is connected to a digital data acquisition system that records the hydraulic head in each section of the well. In this well there are three sections that are connected to the surface with PVC pipes -- from the Mirror Lake Site
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Fractured-rock aquifers are widely distributed near land surface and
are highly susceptible to contamination from human activities. Researchers are developing an
improved understanding of the movement of water and contaminants in fractured-rock aquifers,
methods for characterization of field conditions, and modeling tools. Contaminant transport
and fate is fundamentally different in fractured rock than in unconsolidated (sand and
gravel) aquifers. Significantly more uncertainty exists as to the direction and rate of
contaminant migration, as well as the processes and factors that control chemical and
microbial transformations. At many contaminated sites across the Nation, remedial action is
delayed or stymied by the complexity of contaminated fractured-rock aquifers. Long-term
research on contamination in fractured-rock aquifers has been conducted at the
Program’s two field research sites:
Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary
Rock -- Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, New Jersey
Multidisciplinary Characterization of
Contaminant Transport in Fractured Rock -- Mirror Lake, New Hampshire
Other Program Fractured Rock Research
Program Headlines Related to Fractured Rock Research
Fact Sheets
Meetings and Conferences
- USGS and EPA cosponsor the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program National Point Source Research Meeting, San Diego, Calif., January 26-29, 2009
- The USGS cosponsors the special session Hydrogeological Research Sites and Observatories at the 2008 AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 15-19, 2008
- USGS and EPA host the USGS/EPA Workshop on Transport and Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rocks, West Trenton, New Jersey, September 25, 2008
New Publications
- Effects of simplifying fracture network representation on inert chemical migration in fracture-controlled aquifers: Wellman, T.P., Shapiro, A.M., and Hill, M.C., 2009, Water Resources Research, v. 45, no. 1, W01416, doi:10.1029/2008WR007025.
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