ABSTRACT

Contamination of groundwater/subsurface systems (GWSS) by leachate [URL Ref. No. 220, 221] from sanitary landfills and human wastes [URL Ref. No. 217, 218] (septic tanks, land application of sewage sludge, and municipal wastewater) has become an issue of major concern and public at­ tention in the last decade (Ventullo and Larson, 1993; Chakraborti et al., 1998). One particular issue has been the question of whether the entry of anthropogenic (“humanmade”) organic materials [URL Ref. No. 247, 267, 316] into subsurface soil or groundwater represents a permanent con­ tamination problem or whether removal processes are avail­ able that prevent the accumulation of such material (Brown etal., 1993; Chakraborti etal., 1998).