The Waste Dump!

For the past week my group, (Sebastian, Carmen and Ellen), has been working hard on our small project at the waste dump. We are trying to determine the extent and direction of the plume of contaminated water that is being produced by the waste dump. We have installed piezometers to determine the waterlevels (and groundwater flow directions) and to take samples for chemical analysis.The 7+ meter hole is finally dug! What a relief!


Now all that's left is getting the auger out........

And putting the piezometer in.......

We also walked several EM34 sections (measurement with 2 rings that emit electromagnetic waves; allows you to look at the layering in the subsurface (different sediments, contamination)). And we did some EM39 measurements. This instruments works the same as the EM34, only it is designed to go down a borehole and gives you precise conductivities of each layer of sediment.

There were several lakes near/in the waste dump, two of which were not contaminated and one which was full of waste. We measured the amount of oxygen in the dirty lake and it was very close to zero. The only inhabitants of the lake were huge crabs and lobsters.


After many long days of hard work, we are happy to have an idea about where the plume is going. But spending too much time at a waste dump can do crazy things to people at the end of the day.....

Cheers, Ellen