Groundwater Contamination Sources and Transport through Soil and Groundwater

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Groundwater Contamination Sources and Transport
through Soil and Groundwater

• Matawa Conference
• Thunder Bay, Ontario
• Rui Fonseca, EPOD - Ontario
• October 26, 2010

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Purpose

• To identify and recognize sources and potential
  sources of soil and groundwater contamination.
• To recognize how contaminants travel through
  different types of soil and enter the groundwater
  regime.
• To recognize how soil and ground water
  contamination affects the environment and creates
  human health concerns.
• To create awareness about prevention of soil and
  groundwater contamination and the difficulties
  associated with clean-up of soil and groundwater
  once contaminated.

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What is Groundwater Contamination?

• Groundwater contamination happens when substances
  seep or are released into the ground. These
  substances travel through pores in the soil and
  eventually into the underground groundwater
  system.
• Once these substances come in contact with
  groundwater, they it can travel great distances
  and enter lakes, rivers, streams and creeks, thus
  affecting ecological systems.
• Contaminated groundwater can also affect drinking
  water supplies and pose significant risks to
  human health.

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Common Sources of Groundwater Contamination?

• Improper disposal practices at commercial and
  sometimes residential or private facilities has
  resulted in a variety of chemicals being dumped
  into the ground.

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Groundwater Contamination

• For example, leaky underground storage tanks and
  pipelines have often discharged chemicals into
  groundwater.

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How contaminants move through soils

• If I was a contaminant, this is how these types
  of soils would look like to me

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How contaminants move through soils

• The more course or larger the soil particles are
  the larger the pores and openings are for
  contaminants and groundwater to travel through

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Groundwater contaminant Plumes
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Groundwater Contaminant Plumes
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Major Sources of Groundwater Contamination
Industrial

• Foundries/metal fabricators
• Toxic and hazardous spills
• Machine/metalworking shops
• Wells (improperly abandoned)
• Mining and mine drainage
• Wood preserving facilities

• Asphalt plants
• Petroleum production/storage
• Chemical manufacture/storage
• Pipelines
• Electronics manufacture
• Seepage lagoons
• Electroplaters
• Storage Tanks

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What are the Major Sources of Groundwater
Contamination?
Commercial

• Jewelry/metal plating
• Laundromats
• Medical institutions
• Paint shops
• Photography establishments
• Railroad tracks/yards
• Research laboratories
• Scrap and junk yards
• Storage tanks

• Airports
• Auto repair shops
• Boat yards
• Construction areas
• Car washes
• Cemeteries
• Dry cleaners
• Gas stations
• Golf courses

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What are the Major Sources of Groundwater
Contamination?
Agriculture

• Animal burial areas
• Animal feedlots
• Fertilizer storage/use
• Irrigation sites
• Manure spreading areas/pits
• Pesticide storage/use

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What are the Major Sources of Groundwater
Contamination?
Residential

• Fuel oil
• Septic systems
• Furniture stripping/refinishing
• Sewer lines
• Household hazardous products
• Swimming pools
• Household lawns
• (chemical storage)

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What are the Major Sources of Groundwater
Contamination?
Other

• Hazardous waste landfills
• Recycling/reduction facilities
• Municipal incinerators
• Road deicing operations
• Municipal landfills
• Road maintenance depots
• Municipal sewer lines
• Storm water drains/basins
• Open burning sites
• Waste transfer stations

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Other Examples

• Outdoor storage of drums. After several years,
  the drums corrode allowing rain water to enter
  the drum. Once water is inside, the freeze thaw
  cycle creates bulges in the base of the drum and
  eventually causes them to burst and release their
  contents

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Result
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Other Examples
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More Examples
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More Examples
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Visible Results from Contaminated groundwater
plumes
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Visible Results from Contaminated groundwater
plumes
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Visible Results from Contaminated groundwater
plumes
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Non Readily Visible Results from Contaminated
Groundwater Plumes

• Human Health can also be at risk from using
  contaminated groundwater as a drinking water
  source

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Spills Containment
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Contribution
Many of the photos contained in this
presentation were taken at the location of real
emergency situations and were contributed by
Environment Canadas Environmental Emergencies
Division-Ontario Region or Eastern Canada
Response Corporation.
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Thank You

• Questions/comments?
• Rui Fonseca
• Contaminants Officer
• Phone [phone]
• rui.fonseca_at_ec.gc.ca