2012 NGWA Ground Water Summit: Innovate and Integrate

Among the most basic hydraulic characteristics of interest to those studying groundwater is velocity. Velocity is a primary cause of lags we see in the response times of various hydrogeologic, geochemical, and biogeochemical systems. Local velocities are notoriously difficult to predict due to insensitivities in Darcy calculations that are based on conventional hydraulic head data. Site scale velocities are particularly important for the purposes of risk assessment and remediation design. At the regional scale, studies have found that tracers assumed to behave conservatively (e.g., isotopes) have been transported at rates not consistent with other data. The purpose of this session is to review cases illustrating successes and challenges in measuring groundwater velocity at various scales, including cases showing lag times of practical importance caused by velocity-related issues. In addition, this session will highlight cases illustrating velocity estimation without resorting to Darcy’s law, including examples of emerging technologies for improving the estimation of groundwater velocity.