Excerpt
THE potential for groundwater contamination to occur at any given geographic location depends upon a wide range of physical and environmental variables, including soil type, depth to groundwater, and aquifer size. While many sophisticated computer models have been developed for assessing potential groundwater impacts on a site-by-site basis, most models are far too complex to use for impact assessment on a regional or statewide basis (6.) More simple, computer-based approaches, however, can be used for regional assessment of pollution's potential effect on important groundwater resources.
One such approach involves the use of a geographic information system (GIS). In general, a GIS is designed to store, process, retrieve, and display spatially referenced data. In situations where complex environmental relationships exist, it has been found that data concerning different aspects of the physical environment can be used more effectively in combination than separately. One of the primary functions of a GIS is the combination and evaluation of disparate data layers for the purpose of providing “new” information.
In one recent study, a GIS-based approach to regional groundwater pollution modeling was developed. Most groundwater pollution potential modeling techniques developed to date (1, 2, 3, 4 …
Footnotes
Barry M. Evans is president of Geo Decisions, Inc., P.O. Box 1028, Lemont, Pennsylvania 16851. Wayne L. Myers is co-director of the Office for Remote Sensing of Earth Resources, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16802. Work on which the paper is based was supported by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
- Copyright 1990 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Log in using your username and password
Purchase access
In this issue
