Eleventh Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: Contaminant migration through groundwater—the role of modelling in the design of barriers

Abstract

The role of analysis in the evaluation and design of barriers is discussed. Factors considered include (i) the mechanisms controlling contaminant migration through barriers; (ii) the determination of diffusion and distribution coefficients; (iii) leachate mounding and the effect of clogging of leachate collection systems upon contaminant migration through barriers; (iv) the importance of considering the finite mass of contaminant available for transport into the soil and a method of modelling the effect of finite mass of contaminant; and (v) examples of how analysis may improve the geotechnical engineer's feel for the effectiveness of potential contaminant attenuation mechanisms in both glacial till deposits and fractured rock. Key words: contaminant migration, analysis, diffusion, advection, clays, groundwater, fractured rock, design, barriers.