Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment to Contamination Using Soil Moisture Flow and Solute Transport Modeling
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 7
Abstract
The soil moisture flow and solute transport regimes of the vadose zone associated with specific hydrogeological conditions play a crucial role in pollution risk assessment of the underlying groundwater resources. An effort has been made to map the vulnerability of shallow groundwater to surface pollutants of Doon Valley, an intermontane watershed in North India situated between the lesser Himalayas and Shiwalik ranges, using soil moisture flow and contaminant transport modeling. The classical advection dispersion equation coupled with the Richard’s equation is numerically simulated at different point locations for assessing the intrinsic vulnerability of the valley. The role of soil type, slope, and land-use cover is considered for estimating the transient flux at the top boundary from daily precipitation and evapotranspiration data of the study area. The time required by solute peak to travel from the surface to the groundwater table at the bottom of the soil profile is considered as an indicator of vulnerability index. Results show a high vulnerability in the southern region, whereas low vulnerability is observed in the northeast and northern parts of the valley. These findings are in line with the observed low water table depths, less runoff, and higher hydraulic conductivity of the vadose zone material in the southern part of the valley. The study may assist in decision making related to planning of industrial locations and the sustainable water resources development of the valley.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Dehradun, India, for providing hydrogeological data of the Doon Valley. We also thank Soil and Land Use Survey of India (SLUSI), New Delhi, for providing the soil and land-use maps of the study area.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 7 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 2, 2014
Accepted: Oct 13, 2014
Published online: Dec 3, 2014
Discussion open until: May 3, 2015
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
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