Transformations and hydraulic captures of petrochemical contaminants in a karst fractured aquifer

The development of a petrochemical industry may be responsible for petrochemical contamination of karst-fractured aquifers in an urban water supply system. In the Dawu Well Field, a karst-fractured aquifer in Zibo City, in the east of China, has been seriously polluted by petrochemicals from the operation of petrochemical plants. More than 60 species of organic contaminants have been detected in the water supply wells of the Liuhang-Hougao zone, in the west part of Dawu Well Field. Investigations indicate that contaminants are transported from the petrochemical plants to the karst-fractured aquifer along karst fractures and the Jinling Fault. In the groundwater, concentrations of pollutants vary with depth. Concentrations are greater with depth because of the transmissibility of the Jinling fault. The local convective flow field has a significant influence on transportation of contaminants. Hydraulic barriers can prevent the transportation of contaminants and they can be removed by extraction.