Simulation of Closure Scenarios for an 800-Acre Impoundment

摘要

The Little Blue Run disposal area is a 3 x 10~6 m~2 (800-acre) stabilized scrubber-sludge impoundment formed behind a 120-meter (400-foot) high earth- and rock-fill dam. The impoundment has received fly ash and flue-gas-desulfurization sludges since 1975. The unlined impoundment is located in steep topography and thin-layer geology, so five aquifers were identified. The interaction of flow between aquifers is complicated by fracture traces and a weathering rind developed over the hills. Interaction of geology and topography results in a complex flow field, with groundwater entering one end of the impoundment and exiting the other end. Most of the aquifers crop out in the hillsides surrounding the facility, resulting in numerous springs.