Modeling a Trichloroethylene Plume in an Antrim County, Michigan Aquifer for Protecting Municipal Water Supplies

Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences Senior Design Team at Design Expo 2015 at Michigan Tech

 

Team Members: Kaitlyn Voet and Genevieve Ehrhardt, Geological Engineering

Advisor: John Gierke, Geological and Mining Engineering

and Sciences

Sponsor: Amec Foster Wheeler

 

Project Overview:

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is the primary groundwater

contaminant in an aquifer found in Antrim County,

Michigan. TCE entered the groundwater through

neglectful handling of the industrial solvent, resulting

in a plume that is one of the nation’s largest. The

6-mile long by 2-mile wide plume has already

spoiled dozens of residential water wells and is

migrating towards municipal wells. The project

objectives are to model the groundwater and plume

behavior to better understand how the TCE will

continue to migrate, determine pumping schemes

to protect the municipal wells, and explore options

for using new groundwater pumping wells to

capture the plume.

Done