Hydrological cycle

Water supply system

Groundwater flow
Groundwater uptake - wells
Groundwater pollution
Site remediation (groundwater
and soil )
 Watershed
i)Undeveloped watershed
ii)Partially developed watershed
iii)Fully developed watershed
A watershed (drainage basin)
is an area where surface
water converges to a single
point, usually the exit of the
basin, where the waters join
another water body, such as a
river, lake, reservoir, estuary,
wetland, sea, or ocean. In
closed drainage basins the
water converges to a single
point inside the basin, known
as a sink, which may be a
permanent lake, dry lake, or a
point where surface water is
lost underground.
 Hydrological mass balance
• S = P+ Qin + Iin - Qout- Iout- R- E- T
• Precipitations (P)
• Surface runoff (R)
• Groundwater flow (I) (filtration – continuous flow)
• Stream flow (Q)
• Infiltration (I) ( moisture transport – discontinuous flow)
• Evaporation (E)
• Transpiration (Evapotranspiration) (T)
• Storage (Surface water bodies: lakes, stream, oceans) (S)
• Interception (Inc)
 Climate change: Precipitations increase,
runoff increases, interception decreases,
infiltration decreases, flowrate increases,
probability of flooding increases
 Main drainage
basin
divided into sub-
basins
level 1,
level 2
Level 3
etc
 Meandric
river
drainage
basin
- slow flow,
swamps,
low
suspension
,
high
deposition
 Water reservoirs: Dam construction

Three gorges dam, China

Dam, Quebec
 Classification of reservoirs
• By size (degree of safety)
– Major dams (max. probable flood): 6.107 m3
– Intermediate size dams (most sever storms): 106 m3 -
6.107 m3
– Minor reservoirs (return flood 50 to 100years): 106 m3
• By use (benefit cost ratio)
– Flood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation,
water supply, navigation, preservation of aquatic
life, recreation.
 Water supply from reservoirs

• Surface water supply

• Mass curve
• Storage volume
• Water quality
 Particular considerations for water
supply design
• Groundwater supply: laminar flow of water in
subsurface, type of aquifers, recharge reservoirs.
• Surface water supply: maintaining adequate flowrate,
retention reservoirs
• Sea water use: desalination units, disposal of brine
• Distribution system for water supply: water towers,
water supply network, maintenance of pipe system,
maintaining the adequate pressure supply.
• Water and effluent standards: drinking water, surface
water, groundwater
 Water distribution system
Distribution system under the pressure
• Elevated storage tank
• Important issues: pick demand period,
emergencies, deposits in piping system:
Water supply network
 Groundwater hydrology
• Unconfined aquifer
• Perched water table
• Confined aquifer
– Artesian aquifer

Connectedwater.unwa.au
 Subsurface soil profile
Aeration zone (discontinuity of flow)

Saturated zone
(groundwater table,
continuous flow)
 Darcy law

Piezometric surface (level)

Wells, Hydraulic barriers (series of wells)
Darcy’s law: velocity in porous media - v = K ∆h/ ∆L
K- permeability coefficient, cm/s
∆h = hL – hydraulic gradient
∆L = L - distance between two piezometric level
Groundwater network (Darcy law)

Current
lines

Equipotential
lines
 Groundwater flow equations/
Laplace equation for isotropic medium
Groundwater flow in anisotropic media
 Water supply from
groundwater resources trough a well
or a system of wells
 Dupuit's equations
groundwater flow toward a well

• Unconfined aquifer:
• Q = (k∏)(h22– h12)/ ln (r2/r1)
• Confined aquifer:
• Q = (2k∏ B)(h2– h1)/ ln (r2/r1)

• Bk = T – transmissivity
• T = Q ln (r2/r1)/ 2∏ (s1– s2)
• Bk = T – transmissivity
• H-h = s drawdown at radius r
• H original high of piezometric
surface
Contaminant fate related to hydrological cycle
Source of groundwater contamination
septic tanks,
undergraduate storage tanks (UST),
disposal of hazardous material,
spills from pipelines,
recharge with contaminated surface waters,

ponds, lagoons,
agriculture activities
(pesticides,
fertilizers,
manure)
and landfill.
 Pollutants
• Major soluble pollutants: nitrates, phenols,
gasoline additives, pesticides, metals.
• Major non-soluble polluants: nonaqueus
phase liquids (LNAPL, DNAPL), TCE, PCB,
 Quality of groundwater
• Transport of dissolved contaminants due to:
• - Infiltration and groundwater flow (Darcy’s
law)
• - Diffusion/ dispersion
• - Retardation by:
– sorption and degradation
• Saltwater intrusion
• Deficiency of dissolved oxygen
 Partitioning of contaminants to soil
principles components
• Soil-water partitioning coefficient
Kp = conc. at solid surface / conc. in water
Kp = Kd = Koc foc = X Kow foc
Octanol-water partitioning coefficient - Kow
Organic carbon fraction - foc
Organic carbon partitioning coefficient - Koc
X – relationship function
Kp= foc 0.63 Kow
Air- water partitioning coefficient (Henry’s Law constant)
H = KH = (conc. in gas)/conc. in water)
 Sorption of pollutants in soil
• Adsorption (organics, inorganics)
• Absorption (organics, inorganic)
• Ion exchange (inorganics, organics )
• Sorption isotherms
– Freundlich (the most common for soil conditions -
PAH) F = C 1/n
– Langmuir
– others
 Decay rate
• Decay rate reaction
dC/dt = - k
• Half life time
t ½ = (0.5)(Co)/k
• Biological decay reaction
• Cf = Co exp [ -kt]
where k is decay rate
 Fate of pollutants -
plum of pollution in ground
 Fate of the contaminants:
Retardation coefficient
• Rf = 1 + (ρb Kp/η)
Retardation factor - Rf
Bulk soil density - ρb
Partition coefficient - Kp
Soil porosity – ƞ
Change in concentration =
diffusion/ dispersion – advective transport + sorption +/- decay
(biological, volatilisation, photosynthesis etc.)
 Mitigation and treatment
• Pump-and-treat method
• In situ bioremediation
• Air sparging
• Soil vapor extraction
• Reactive treatment walls (barriers)
• Electrokinetic treatment
• Soil flashing
 Groundwater remediation
• Bioremediation, air sparging, pump-and-
treat method, permeable reactive barriers
Active barriers
 Soil treatment (mostly from metals)
Principle of electrokinetics
The application of a low direct current between anode
and cathode into clayey soils
• Electroosmosis: movement of water to cathode
• Electrophoresis: transport of colloid particles
• Electromigration: transport of ions and ion complexes

Anode Cathode
H2O
HO
H2O 2 --
++++ H2 O - -
cation anion
colloid
 Remediation methods
• Biological methods (organics)
– Solid-phase systems (from a minimal to an important volume of soil)
• Composting (ex-situ, in enclosed reactor )
• In piles (ex-situ)
• Landfarming (ex-situ abandoned)
• Permeable treatment walls (in-situ)
• Bioventing (in-situ vadose zone)
• In-situ inoculation, Bioaugmentation, Biostimulation
• Phytoremediation (in-situ)
- Slurry-phase treatment (ex-situ treatment of soil slurry)
• Anaerobic bioreactors
• Aerobic bioreactor (SBR)
• Lagoons
- Bio treatment of groundwater
▪ Biosparging (in-situ)
▪ Anaerobic and aerobic bioreactors (from pump-and-treat)
▪ Aerobic and anaerobic biobarriers
▪ Monitored Natural Attenuation
 Soil washing
XiMs = XfMs +CVl

Xf/Xi =
{1/ [1+(Vl1/Ms Kp)]} ∙
{1/ [1+(Vl2/Ms Kp)]}
...

Xf – final concentration
Kp – portioning
Ms - mass of soil washed
Vl – volume of washing
fluid used
C – contaminant
concentration in the spent
fluid
Soil and groundwater slurry treatment

Nutrients requirements
C:N:P = 100:10:1
Oxygen (electron acceptor)
requirements
C6H6 + 7.5O2 → 6CO2 +3 H2O
78 240 264 54 (g)
Soil remediation in piles
Stabilization/ Solidifaction