Upcoming Professional Project Defense

Mapping Ground Water Contamination in Albuquerque: Determination of Potential Threats to Public Water Supply

Jordan Wollak

October 22, 2008
10:00 am
Economic Building Room 1052

Abstract

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority operates groundwater wells to provide drinking water to the residents of the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Proper management is needed to ensure that the residents have safe drinking water. This study focuses on particular water distribution trunk of the Albuquerque Water System which has lower values of arsenic in comparison to other parts of the city and will deliver water to the expanding southeastern part of Albuquerque. Ridgecrest Trunk wells provide approximately 20 percent of the water for the Albuquerque area, but throughout the area there are numerous sites that have known incidences of hazardous waste contaminating soil and groundwater. These hazardous waste sites can contaminate groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOC). VOCs are ground water contaminants of concern because of their release into the environment, human health risks, and potential to travel to contaminate drinking water supply wells. For these reasons groundwater is monitored on a regular basis to ensure the public health is not compromised. This study will provide a preliminary assessment of groundwater movement to determine if the Ridgecrest Trunk wells are vulnerable to contamination from hazardous waste dumped on the surface.