DISPERSING THE BAD NEWS

Hazardous material spills into rivers are infrequent, but when they do occur they can have serious results for water consumers, the aquatic environment, and even, on occasion, other river traffic. Understanding the mixing action of a river and the resultant behavior of such spills is important to selecting appropriate response actions. The interaction of the various parameters can be represented by mathematical equations, and these have been used to develop a proprietary computer program called 'rSpill' that provides spill behavior predictions. The program's capabilities are summarized and a case history illustrating its application is presented.