Course Overview
Major sources of groundwater contaminants and their flow in groundwater will be examined. Topics will include terminology, water quality, chemical constituents of groundwater, natural chemical evolution of groundwater, instrumentation, LNAPL's and DNAPL's, transport mechanisms, measurement of parameters, sources of contamination, and an introduction to solutions employing analytical and and numerical methods.
- Not offered this term
- This course is not offered this term. Notify me to receive email notifications when the course opens for registration next term.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, the student will be able to:
- Describe important geochemical processes that pertain to contaminant fate.
- Identify the elements of ground water composition.
- Describe how the carbonate series of reactions affects groundwater parameters.
- Explain how geochemical processes such as redox reactions affect contaminant migration.
- Calculate saturation indices and explain how they affect contaminant movement.
- Develop groundwater maps using tri-linear diagrams and Stiff diagrams to display groundwater composition.
- Calculate charge balance error and discuss the relevance on laboratory analysis.
- Explain the process of sorption and calculate the coefficient of contaminate distribution.
- Differentiate between chemical and biotransformation reactions of organic chemicals.
- Explain how nutrients affect the process of biotransformation.
- Discuss how partitioning affects the movement of organic solutes in the aqueous system.
- Calculate half life transformation of radio nuclides.
- Describe important chemical properties such as solubility, miscibility, volatility, interfacial tension and explain how they affect the transport of contaminants in the subsurface.
- Explain point and non-point sources of contaminant loading.
- Differentiate the three main mass transportation functions, advection, dispersion and diffusion.
- Calculate mass flux for advection, dispersion and diffusion.
- Compare and contrast the reactive versus non-reactive contaminant processes.
- Identify the main properties of Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPLS).
- Outline how LNAPL movement is controlled in the subsurface.
- Identify the components that comprise the geometry of an LNAPL spill.
- Solve problems on determining the amount contaminant mass contained in the subsurface.
- Identify the main properties of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLS).
- Outline how DNAPL movement is controlled in the subsurface.
- Identify the components that comprise the geometry of an DNAPL spill.
- Compare and contrast how LNAPLS versus DNAPLS react in the subsurface.
- Illustrate how capillary forces and wetability affect NAPL mobilization.
- Understand and apply the concepts of groundwater and wellhead protection.
- Solve problems using simple one-dimensional mass transport equations.
- Apply Fick's first and second laws.
Effective as of Fall 2003
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.