Peripheral versus perpendicular groundwater monitoring configurations

Abstract

A simulation model was used to evaluate alternative groundwater monitoring configurations for detecting landfill contamination. Using a wide range of downgradient contaminant source configurations, detection efficiency was calculated for peripheral and perpendicular monitoring networks. In the peripheral configurations, each well was located 20 m from the downgradient boundary of the landfill. Wells in perpendicular configurations were collinear, the line located 20 m from the landfill's hydraulically downgradient point(s). The perpendicular configuration consistently outperformed the conventional peripheral scheme. In most cases, the detection efficiency of a perpendicular configuration could be increased by shifting wells toward the downgradient corner of the landfill.

Key words:

• groundwater monitoring
• landfill