Constant-head Well Testing in Support of Environmental Remediation

Robert C. Trautz, Iraj Javandel, and Preston D. Jordan

Contact: Rob Trautz, 510/486-7954, RCTrautz@lbl.gov

Research Objectives

Groundwater contamination resulting from improper waste disposal and accidental releases of chemicals to the environment is a significant problem faced by many communities. Numerous technologies have been developed over the past two decades to treat contaminated groundwater. Selection of the best-available technology for a given site is based on the treatment technology’s ability to either remove or immobilize the contaminant and the cost of implementing the treatment. Both criteria are typically evaluated in light of contaminant travel times, which influence the groundwater treatment time and cost, thus potentially affecting the final cleanup method selected. This article describes a constant-head test method and equipment used in the field to estimate relatively low hydraulic conductivities (K), an important hydrological property of the contaminated water-bearing zone used to estimate travel times.

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