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Abstract
This study evaluated how groundwater velocity affects the sampling interval of a groundwater monitoring network and its ability to intercept contaminant plumes before reaching a buffer zone boundary. A computer simulation model tested the detection capability of a groundwater-monitoring network in different groundwater velocity settings. A 0.4-m/d velocity registered a maximum sampling interval of four months. By comparison, decreasing the velocity to 0.04 m/d resulted in a 3-year maximum sampling interval. Groundwater velocity exerts a strong control on the maximum sampling interval of contaminant detection networks in aquifers. Assigning an arbitrary sampling interval, that does not take into account a site's hydrogeology, could waste financial resources or allow contaminants to reach a buffer zone boundary without being detected.