This type of modelling, if undertaken as part of the remediation design strategy, can be used to optimise the number and location of boreholes, pumping rates, and total pumping time. It can therefore provide significant cost savings, as well as maximising the effectiveness of the remediation.
 

This case study illustrates a model of a site assessment and remediation programme for a contaminated land site in the UK.

The figure illustrates how the site-scale NAMMU model was used to calculate capture zones of a number of planned boreholes to be used to remediate contamination at the site. The capture zones were calculated using NAMMU's pathline facility.

A simple pathline calculation can be used to give an indication of the effectiveness of a pump-and-treat remediation strategy, but in order to validate and to optimise the treatment strategy, a full time-dependent calculation of contaminant transport must be used. This calculation should include all the important physical processes, such as advection, dispersion, diffusion, sorption and chemical, biological or radioactive decay.