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In Situ Ground Water Remediation Using the Trench and Gate System
Author(s) -
Bowles Marc W.,
Bentley L. R.,
Hoyne B.,
Thomas D.A.
Publication year - 2000
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.1745-6584.2000.tb00328.x
Subject(s) - environmental remediation , trench , in situ , environmental science , groundwater , geology , contamination , materials science , geotechnical engineering , geography , nanotechnology , meteorology , ecology , layer (electronics) , biology
The trench and gate remediation system is a funnel and gate design modified for installation in tills and other low permeability sediments. Modifications include the addition of high hydraulic conductivity trenches along the upgradient side of the funnel walls and a discharge reinfiltration gallery downgradient from the treatment gate. Preferential ground water flow through the high permeability trenches and reinfiltration gallery prevents mounding, which otherwise forces flow beneath and around funnel walls. The resultant capture zone is larger, both horizontally and vertically, than the cross‐sectional funnel area and is significantly larger than the capture zone of a similar funnel and gate system. The system constitutes an economical, in situ, long‐term contaminant plume capture and treatment method. In effectiveness and cost, the trench and gate system compares favorably with, or outper‐forms, other remediation systems in near‐surface, low permeability dissolved contaminant scenarios. A prototype trench and gate system was installed at the East Garrington Gas Plant, Alberta, Canada, in 1995. The installation demonstrated the effectiveness of the concept, and the system has successfully prevented off‐site migration of dissolved hydrocarbon contaminants.