Figure 4. A contamination plume (shown in red) originates at a source in the sand and gravel deposit. This source could be a landfill, a leaking fuel storage tank, or an accidental spill. As the contaminant seeps into the subsurface system and enters the aquifer, it flows with the ground water. The plume contaminated the gravel-packed well as it passed by. The driven well near the stream is not contaminated, but is at risk since the plume is flowing in that direction. The dug well on the hillside, however, is not affected because it is upgradient of the source, hence the contaminated ground water flows away from this well.

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Last updated on October 6, 2005

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