The objective of this project is to develop an approach to better design of systems for decontamination of groundwater than is now generally in use for remediation of aquifers contaminated by seepage from hazardous wastes sites. The procedure being developed in this project is directed toward optimizing the number and location of wells and for determination of the pumping rates to be used during the remediation process. It will also include an algorithm for including installation and construction costs in the economic description of the proposed system. The proposal leading to this award was submitted in accord with the NSF Program Announcement: Research Initiation Awards, NSF 88-99. Results are expected to provide an approach that can be used to improve the engineering design of systems for decontamination of groundwater aquifers. It is expected to have an advantage over procedures now being used for determination of the number, location and pumping rates of remediation wells. Results of this research may also be applied to engineering design of systems to protect aquifers from potential contamination by seepage from hazardous waste disposal sites.
