SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1988
STP44848S

Integrating Geophysical and Hydrogeological Data: An Efficient Approach to Remedial Investigations of Contaminated Ground Water

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Geophysical methods have been proven a cost-effective tool for investigating ground-water contamination near some landfills and hazardous waste disposal sites. Establishing standard methods or practices for geophysical investigations is made difficult, however, by the many geophysical tools available and the broad range of site conditions encountered by the geophysicist and hydrogeologist. The case histories reported here illustrate, first, that electromagnetic conductivity surveys are less cost-effective than d-c resistivity in detecting and mapping contaminated ground water. Second, they demonstrate the value of employing geophysical measurements as an integral component of a remedial investigation. Geophysical investigations must be planned and data must be interpreted in light of available geologic and hydrologic data. Geophysical, geological, and hydrologic observations must all be used to develop the overall conceptual model. Preliminary analysis of geophysical measurements should be made in the field so that the investigator can adjust his strategy to site-specific conditions. New data that are collected should be compared with predictions made based on the overall conceptual model, and the degree to which new data conform to such predictions serves as an indicator of the reliability of the model and the adequacy of the data. Finally, there is a need to standardize units and data presentations so that information developed by different investigators can be easily compared and fully exploited.

Author Information

DJ, Stierman
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH Applied Geomechanics, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA
LC, Ruedisili
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
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Details
Developed by Committee: D18
Pages: 43–57
DOI: 10.1520/STP44848S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5037-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0968-1