CONFIGURING DETECTION WELLS NEAR LANDFILLS

A graphical method was devised for designing contaminant detection mon itoring networks in aquifers. The approach eliminates bias in detectio n efficiency among well pairs, thereby improving the overall efficienc y of a ground water monitoring network. In the equidistant configurati ons derived by the graphical approach, all wells are located the same distance from a landfill, but the distance is measured parallel to gro und water flow. Measured perpendicular to ground water flow, there is also an equal spacing between wells in an equidistant network. A simul ation model was used to compare an equidistant network to a peripheral monitoring configuration, in which wells were spaced evenly along the downgradient boundaries of a landfill. The equidistant network yielde d a 12.4% higher detection efficiency and also facilitated earlier rel ease detection. In practice, the graphical approach that yields equidi stant configurations can be used to identify candidate monitoring netw orks to detect potential releases from landfills.