Groundwater Contamination Clean up — Reality or Illusion?

Abstract

In most cases the data and the background information provided as the basis for remediation activities do not describe in sufficient detail the variability of the flow and transport mechanisms controlling the clean-up processes. Thus the efficiency of the remediation techniques are often overestimated, and excessive trust is placed in our ability to clean up contaminant plumes and restore the groundwater quality. In light of various unsuccessful projects implemented in Denmark as well as abroad, there is an obvious need for a critical review of the reliability and efficiency of the remediation techniques and their justification in relation to restoration of contaminated groundwater reservoirs. This paper examines some of the key problems associated with clean-up techniques illustrated by an example from an abandoned chemical waste dump in Denmark.