Riverbank filtration has been used for public and industrial water supply in Europe over a century and for nearly half a century in the United States. The process has been shown to be effective in moderating the peak concentrations of various contaminants present in river or lake water (for lake bank filtration) and in many cases involving removal of contaminants to below detection levels. The performance of riverbank filtration systems depends upon well type and pumping rates, travel time of surface water between the river and the pumping wells, source water quality, site hydrogeologic conditions, biogeochemical reactions in sediments and aquifer, and the quality of background ground water. Studies from Europe and United States indicate significant removal of dissolved organic carbon, nitrate, pesticides, pathogen, turbidity, and pharmaceutical and personal care products. The degree of removal in one system varies from the other. Computer simulations indicate that by placing the (vertical) wells somewhat away from the river could reduce the effect of nitrate or pesticide peaks in surface water. In Europe, this has been observed to enhance denitrification, thus reducing the levels of nitrate present in surface water.
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