ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Groundwater contaminant vulnerability was evaluated in the Rouge River watershed in southeast Michigan, USA which includes metropolitan Detroit. The evaluation was performed using an analytical model of solute transport in soil combined with calculated surface and subsurface risk factors to quantify the potential impacts to groundwater and surface water quality. Four categories of contaminants (DNAPLs, LNAPLs, PAHs, and lead) were evaluated at 83 sites across varied soil types. The results indicate that risk to groundwater differs significantly depending on the soil types and contaminants, with DNAPL compounds posing greatest risk in soils within the sand and moraine surface geology of the watershed. Significant differences in the cost of remediation also exist between the different contaminant categories. These findings are significant because DNAPLs are persistent in the environment, and this contamination, coupled with the watershed’s hydraulic connection with the Great Lakes creates the potential for ecological and public health impacts at broad geographic scales. The results demonstrate the need to conduct contaminant vulnerability analyses in urban regions and enact contaminant control measures for those contaminants that are mobile and persistent in the urban environment.
