Characterizing the heterogeneity and correlation of perchloroethene sorption and hydraulic conductivity using a facies‐based approach

Abstract

A facies‐based approach was used to delineate both geochemical and physical aquifer property heterogeneity. Specifically, the parameters considered were the sorption coefficient (Kd) for a model organic contaminant and hydraulic conductivity (K) inferred from the particle size distribution. Subfacies‐sized samples were analyzed for both tetrachloroethene Kd and K in a vertical core of the Borden aquifer. Both parameters were correlated with the six sedimentary facies identified within the vertical core. As a consequence of their relations to sedimentary facies, significant positive correlations between ln K and ln Kd which were different from the core‐scale correlation and different from each other were identified for some facies. Fades‐specific correlations generally resulted in improved statistics (i.e., higher correlation coefficients and reduced confidence intervals) compared to the core‐scale correlation. The results suggest that a facies‐based approach can be useful in characterizing the heterogeneity of the transport properties of sedimentary aquifers.