Two-dimensional time-dependent simulation of contaminant transport from a landfill

A numerical model to simulate solute transport in flowing groundwater is developed using finite-difference solutions to the groundwater flow equation and the solute transport equation.The use of the model is illustrated by its application to a problem of groundwater contamination in a waste-disposal area in Miami, Florida. The model integrates the effects of several factors that controlled changes in iron concentrations, and successfully reproduced the record of contamination observed during a one-year period.The model was found to be insensitive to chemical parameters, but sensitive to an aquifer dispersion coefficient and the groundwater flow velocity. This implies that there can be sites where the chemical attenuation can be approximated without a significant impact on results.