Abstract
Study of the mobility of contaminants in an aquifer is an important issue for the proper remediation of contaminated groundwater. Determination of associated solute transport parameters therefore is essential for investigation of the extent to which groundwater can be contaminated. This study aimed at determining solute transport parameters for an unconfined sandy aquifer at a laboratory scale through various tracer tests using a conservative solute as a tracer. Tracer tests consisted of both wellโtracer tests (single and double wells) and an aquifer tracer test using a plumeโcapturing device such as time domain reflectometry (TDR). The results showed that longitudinal dispersivities estimated from the single and double wellโtracer tests were 2ยท2 cm and 13ยท5 cm for a travel distance of 9ยท3 cm and 13ยท5 cm from the injection point respectively. These results agreed reasonably well with the results of the aquifer tracer test. The solute transport parameters obtained at multiple points in the aquifer through the aquifer tracer test revealed that the dispersivity length was proportional to the travel distance by a factor of 0ยท3, which was moderately higher than the value of 0ยท1 given in the literature. Copyright ยฉ 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.