MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment

Transcription

1 MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Lecture 2. Ground water. Dmitriy Leykekhman Fall 2010 Goals: Ground water. Legal issues. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 1

2 Ground Water Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 2

3 Ground Water This water is moving, not very fast but it is moving. If a contaminant is present there it will move as well. Problems: How fast does it move? How far may it travel in a certain period? What is the direction of the flow? Where will it spread? What will the concentration of a contaminant be? D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 3

4 Example Imagine a chemical company operating on the outskirts of a large city that also happens to be a major tourist destination because of a famous waterfall located nearby. Imagine that for year after year the chemical company kept dumping all kinds of highly toxic chemicals wastes in an old canal that was no longer used for navigation. Think of these chemicals to be in 55-gallon steel drums, which rust away fairly quickly when exposed to the ground. Imagine that when the entire canal area is full of toxic materials, the top is covered over with dirt and the land is donated to the city for public recreational purposes. A school and playground are build in the area, and eventually residential houses are build there as well. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 4

5 Example Meanwhile the chemicals drums are corroding and leaking. The chemicals start migrate through the soil from the original dump-site to the surrounding area. The ground water is becoming heavily contaminated in the vicinity. After several year people notice funny smells in their houses and peculiar chemicals are even found oozing out of some basement walls. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 5

6 Example Meanwhile the chemicals drums are corroding and leaking. The chemicals start migrate through the soil from the original dump-site to the surrounding area. The ground water is becoming heavily contaminated in the vicinity. After several year people notice funny smells in their houses and peculiar chemicals are even found oozing out of some basement walls. Now take this situation and multiply it a thousandfold or more to indicate that similar scenario has been occurring in all parts of the country in almost in every state. This is the situation the US found itself in during 1970s. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 5

7 Example Meanwhile the chemicals drums are corroding and leaking. The chemicals start migrate through the soil from the original dump-site to the surrounding area. The ground water is becoming heavily contaminated in the vicinity. After several year people notice funny smells in their houses and peculiar chemicals are even found oozing out of some basement walls. Now take this situation and multiply it a thousandfold or more to indicate that similar scenario has been occurring in all parts of the country in almost in every state. This is the situation the US found itself in during 1970s. The example above is the famous example of the Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 5

8 On December 11, 1980 in response to the Love Canal disaster disaster and the environmental contamination at the Valley of the Drums, the United States Congress enacted a famous law known as the Superfund Act setting up a whole system of procedures for prioritizing and cleaning up contaminating sites. Officially known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 6

9 According the Wikipedia article, Under CERCLA, four classes of parties, termed potential responsible parties, may be liable for contamination at a Superfund site: the current owner or operator of the site the owner or operator of a site at the time that disposal of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant occurred a person who arranged for the disposal of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant at a site a person who transported a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant to a site; that transporter must have also selected that site for the disposal of the hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 7

10 This law gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice tremendous in trying to recover the costs of cleanup from a wide variety of sources. For example, if you own a site that was contaminated before you, you could also be held totally responsible for the cost of clean up. D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 8

11 NPL The National Priorities List (NPL) is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. As of December 12, 2008, there are currently 1,255 sites listed on the NPL, an additional 332 have been delisted, and 63 new sites have been proposed. As you can see quite a number of them in the State of Connecticut. For more info check NPL Sites in Connecticut or Scorecard the Pollution information site D. Leykekhman - MATH 1050QC Mathematical Modeling in the Environment Course info 9