Application of Numerical Simulation and Resistivity Method to a Contaminated Site caused by Waste Materials

Kazuei Ishii*, Tohru Furuichi*, Toshikazu Imai** and Takuya Wada***
* Division of Environmental Resource Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University
** Igeol, Inc.
*** CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.
+Correspondence should be addressed to Kazuei Ishii:
(Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8628 Japan)

Abstract
Understanding current and future contaminant distributions is very important in carrying out counter-measures for remediation of soil and groundwater contamination. In the present circumstances, the contaminant distributions are estimated by using contaminant concentration data at boreholes. However, in many of the considered cases, the estimation is a result merely obtained by interpolation of scattered data, and does not always show overall contaminant distributions. This study tried to determine an overall contaminant distribution by applying numerical simulations and resistivity methods. The latter involves electric investigation and is expected to estimate the relative distribution of contaminants in a site contaminated by waste materials. The distribution of contaminants estimated by numerical simulation was shown to be similar with that estimated by the resistivity method. It is suggested that the numerical model could reveal the current distributions of contaminants in groundwater. The future distribution of contaminants estimated by the numerical model suggests that countermeasures for soil and groundwater contamination at the siteare necessary.

Key words: waste materials, soil and groundwater contamination, numerical simulation, resistivity method