Electromagnetic mapping of saline contamination at an active brine pit

Abstract

Frequency-domain and time-domain electromagnetic methods were used to investigate groundwater contamination at an active brine pit in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. The objectives of the survey were to delineate contamination suspected to be occuring at the site and to compare frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) and time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) measurements in a survey area containing pipelines, fences, and power lines. The survey successfully delineated a region of high conductivity around brine pit, confirming that leakage is occurring from the pit. Modelling of the FDEM results suggests the contamination is spreading within a series of shallow sand units. Comparison of FDEM and TDEM survey results indicate that small-separation FDEM systems are much more useful for mapping in a developed area containing sources of cultural noise. The FDEM systems permit rapid mapping of spatial variations in conductivity, are affected to only a limited degree by cultural features, and provide some resolution of the depth variation of conductivity at shallow depth. It was not possible to obtain useful TDEM measurements anywhere near the active brine pit because of the signal distortion in the late-time response. Key words: geophysics, electromagnetic, brine pit, saline contamination.