Effect of hydraulic conductivity on three dimensional contaminant transport in Riverbank Filtration System

Abstract

Riverbank filtration system is a technique used for surface water treatment that is based on biological activities to attenuate the contamination in water through its movement from the river to the adjacent pumping well. Hydraulic conductivity is a critical parameter that affects the efficiency of riverbank filtration systems. In this study, an analytical model, using Green's function approach, is developed to investigate the effect of hydraulic conductivity on contaminant transport and RBF system efficiency. The model is applied at the RBF site in Malaysia. The outcomes show that increasing the hydraulic conductivity values results in lowering the quality of the pumped water produced from the well, in which the contamination area around the well increase. Additionally, the distance from well to the river that should be considered when establishing a new RBF site is significantly affected by the hydraulic conductivity value.