An Analysis of Horizontal Flow Treatment Well Applicability for the Treatment of Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Groundwater at United States Forces Korea Installations

Past research (Oshiba, 1997) has shown that there is a rising public concern with environmental issues in the Republic of Korea (ROK). As Korean government and public interest in the environment grow, there is likely to be increased pressure to remediate environmental contamination at United States Department of Defense (DoD) installations in Korea. Impacting DoD's ability to remediate contaminated sites overseas is the fact that limited environmental funds must compete with high priority mission requirements. Thus, particularly at overseas bases, there is an urgent need for inexpensive and effective groundwater remediation technologies. This study focused on the containment of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents in the fractured rock aquifers that are commonly encountered at DoD installations in the ROK. Horizontal Flow Treatment wells (HFTWs) were analyzed as a potentially cheaper, safer, and more effective technology for the containment of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater. Both hydrogeologic and design parameters were varied to determine their effects on the technology performance. From this study, it was determined that an HFTW numerical model developed for porous media is appropriate for application in the fractured systems encountered in the ROK, and that HFTWs have the potential to be a cost effective alternative for contaminant management in fractured media when compared to conventional technologies. Model analysis indicated HFTWs might be appropriate for containing contaminant plumes in the ROK, though bypassing of system may be problematic.