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A Solute‐Transport Simulation of Brackish‐Water Intrusion Near Baltimore, Maryland
Author(s) -
Chapelle Francis H.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1986.tb01006.x
Subject(s) - aquifer , plume , brackish water , saltwater intrusion , groundwater , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , environmental science , estuary , surficial aquifer , water quality , oceanography , salinity , groundwater recharge , ecology , geography , geotechnical engineering , meteorology , biology
Brackish‐water contamination of the Patuxent aquifer has been a serious water‐quality problem in Baltimore, Maryland, since the early 1900's. The Patuxent aquifer presently contains a circular plume of brackish‐water contamination that is about 5 miles in diameter. This plume is centered on the Patapsco River estuary and is characterized by chloride concentrations that range up to 5,000 milligrams per liter. Borehole data demonstrate that the Arundel Clay Formation, which overlies the Patuxent and functions as a confining bed, has been breached by Pleistocene river channels in the Baltimore area. These erosional channels, which have been subsequently filled with relatively permeable sediments, provide conduits for brackish water to seep from the Patapsco River into the Patuxent aquifer when aquifer water levels arc lower than river water levels. A two‐dimensional areal solute‐transport model of the Patuxent aquifer was used to estimate the future movement of the brackish‐water plume based on alternative strategies of aquifer use. Model simulations suggest that the plume will not spread rapidly if present pumping patterns are continued. Furthermore, sharply curtailing pumpage in the Baltimore area will probably not reduce the size of the plume, although this strategy may slightly decrease the spreading rate. While the plume is presently remaining nearly stationary, new pumping centers southeast of Baltimore could cause brackish water to migrate in that direction, significantly increasing the size of the plume.