3D Resistivity and Induced Polarization for Leachate Plume Identification at a Challenging Field Site

Abstract

In the present study, we have used 3D ERT for detailed mapping of a polluted site at a challenging river site in the southern part of the Denmark. The survey layout involves several crossings of the meander of a river where a leachate plume from an old chemical factory site is expected to reach the river. Both resistivity and time domain induced polarization data were acquired, and full 3D inversion was performed for the resistivity data and 2D inversion of the IP data. Two sets of 3D data were acquired; one at a larger scale covering total area 410x90m2 and one at small scale covering 126x42m2, which enabled both details in the shallow part while covering a large area. 3D DC data were inverted using the inversion package BERT and 2D DC-IP data were inverted using AarhusInv. 3D DC inversion models show the presence of low resistivity anomaly at the northern bank of the stream interpreted as a contaminant plume. The contaminant plume is also seen in a deeper aquifer, which is separated by a low permeable clay layer to the upper aquifer. We could not discriminate the clay-lithology from the contamination using only resistivity model however, including the 2D inversions of the IP data we clearly separate the clay layer from the contaminated aquifer.