Hydrogeology and Flow of Water in a Sand and Gravel Aquifer Contaminated by Wood-Preserving Compounds, Pensacola, Florida

摘要

The sand and gravel aquifer in southern Escambia County, Florida, is a typical surficial aquifer composed of quartz sands and gravels interbedded locally with silts and clays. A potentially widespread contamination problem involves organic chemicals from wood-preserving processes. Because creosote is the most extensively used industrial preservative in the United States, an abandoned wood-treatment plant near Pensacola was chosen for investigation. The report describes the hydrogeology and ground water flow system of the sand and gravel aquifer near the plant. Recharge occurs predominantly in the northern part of the study area, while discharge occurs along the coast and to Pensacola Bay. In the study area, the sand and gravel aquifer, about 100 meters thick, consists of three permeable zones separated by confining units. A three-dimensional simulation of ground water flow in the aquifer was evaluated under steady-state conditions.