Evaluation of the Influence of a Highly Permeable Fault on Transport of Pollutants by the Local Groundwater Flow

摘要

Underground disposal of hazardous industrial waste is carried out with the objective of their long-term isolation from the biosphere. That is why one of the most important quantitative characteristics of under-ground disposal safety is the groundwater travel time from a repository to a discharge area. From the hydrogeo-logical point of view, platform artesian basins are the most favorable geological structures for underground dis-posal of industrial waste. In selecting a site for waste disposal, it is recommended to locate repositories as far as possible from fault zones. This article contains the results obtained from a quantitative analysis of the influ-ence exerted by highly permeable faults on the groundwater travel time in a simplified model of an artesian basin. It is demonstrated that the influence of a highly permeable fault on the structure of regional flow changes depending on the fault position relative to recharge and discharge areas. This influence can lead to either a decrease or an increase in groundwater travel time from a disposal site to a discharge area.