Minimizing the Exposure Risk from Groundwater Pollution by Optimizing
the Extraction Patterns
Abstract
Optimization models for minimizing pollutant exposure from groundwater
resources require time and resources that many communities might not
have ready access to due to their economic conditions. In such cases, it
might be useful to develop a “rule of thumb” approach for suggestions
in case of uncertainties and inadequate means to address these
uncertainties. Monte Carlo analysis was performed for a simplified
groundwater system and the effects of extraction patterns, distance to
pollution source, dispersivity, pollutant pulse period, pore water
velocity and decay were examined for minimizing the high pollutant
exposure risk from the extracted groundwater. Results indicate that, in
a high uncertainty scenario, the best bet for minimizing the risk of
high pollutant exposure would be to adopt a frequent extraction pattern
and supply the water as a mixture of extractions from multiple wells
spread over an area. These findings can be used as a “rule of thumb”
wherever time and resources might be the limiting factors.