Incorporation of groundwater flow into traditional sensitivity analysis of a southeast coastal plain layered aquifer system

In 1993 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA, 1993) defined aquifer sensitivity/contamination potential as “a measure of the ease with which a contaminant applied on or near the land surface can migrate to an aquifer.” The U.S. EPA went further in describing groundwater contamination potential by stating that it is a function of the intrinsic characteristics of both geologic materials comprising the aquifer as well as overlying saturated and unsaturated materials. Finally, the U.S. EPA noted that aquifer sensitivity, or contamination potential, is “independent of land use and the types of contaminants introduced.” During the ensuing 12 years since the US EPA’s proclamation, there has been steady effort nationwide to assess the susceptibility of water-bearing geologic units according to its definition.