The main scope of the Water Quality Management course is to provide students with the basic knowledge of the physical and biogeochemical mechanisms controlling the quality of groundwater (flow and contaminant transport modeling in groundwater). Furthermore the course addresses the assessment of contamination level, health risk and groundwater remediation systems.
Water Quality Management course is part of the master's degree program in "Civil Engineering for Protection from Natural Risks", whose objective is to train civil engineers with high professional qualifications for the protection from hydrogeological and seismic risks.
Within the framework of this course, the course aims to provide an in-depth knowledge of 1) flood legislation; 2) contamination sources in natural and anthropic environments; 3) main physical mechanisms of contaminant transport in groundwater and soils; 4) modelling of solute transport in environmental systems most popular computational tools flow and transport modeling in groundwater; 5) health risk due to contaminated groundwater; 6) main groundwater remediation systems.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to 1) identify fundamental criteria and restrictions for the assessment of the environmental concentration and the related health risk ; 2) develop an hydrological/hydraulic model for the study of a contaminated site; 3) perform simulations exploring different contamination scenarios; 4) identify the most appropriate solution for groundwater remediation; 6) prepare project report and drawings.
Water Quality Management course is part of the master's degree program in "Civil Engineering for Protection from Natural Risks", whose objective is to train civil engineers with high professional qualifications for the protection from hydrogeological and seismic risks.
Within the framework of this course, the course aims to provide an in-depth knowledge of 1) flood legislation; 2) contamination sources in natural and anthropic environments; 3) main physical mechanisms of contaminant transport in groundwater and soils; 4) modelling of solute transport in environmental systems most popular computational tools flow and transport modeling in groundwater; 5) health risk due to contaminated groundwater; 6) main groundwater remediation systems.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to 1) identify fundamental criteria and restrictions for the assessment of the environmental concentration and the related health risk ; 2) develop an hydrological/hydraulic model for the study of a contaminated site; 3) perform simulations exploring different contamination scenarios; 4) identify the most appropriate solution for groundwater remediation; 6) prepare project report and drawings.
teacher profile teaching materials
- The issue of environmental matrix contamination and its impact on water resource quality
- Sources of contamination
- Classification of contaminants: chemical, physical, and toxicological aspects
2. Transport of Non-Reactive Substances in the Saturated Zone
- Review of flow equations in saturated media
- Solute transport: mechanisms and mathematical modeling
- Introduction to stochastic models
3. Transport of Reactive Substances in the Saturated Zone
- Classification of chemical reactions
- Adsorption of water-soluble compounds
- Adsorption of hydrophobic compounds
- Homogeneous reactions
- Radioactive decay
- Biodegradation
4. Transport of Substances in the Unsaturated Zone
- Review of flow equations
- Transport of non-reactive solutes
- Transport of reactive solutes: ADE and Mobile-Immobile models
5. Multiphase Flow
- Relative permeability and Darcy’s law for multiphase flow
- DNAPL and LNAPL: behavior and environmental implications
6. Coastal Aquifers
- Introduction to the problem of coastal aquifer salinization
- Equations for variable-density flow modeling
- Evaluation of the saltwater wedge using simplified approaches (e.g., SWI)
7. Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Aquifers
- Methods for assessing the quantitative status of an aquifer
- Methods for assessing the chemical status of an aquifer
8. Monitoring and Sampling
- Environmental matrix sampling techniques
Design of a monitoring and sampling system
9. Remediation and Site Cleanup
- Source control and remediation techniques
- Plume containment and cleanup strategies
10. Human Health Risk Assessment
- Risk models (EPA): carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic
11. Aquifer Vulnerability
- Index and overlay models for aquifer vulnerability assessment
Practical Exercise
Development of a numerical model to simulate a contamination event and the remediation of a polluted site.
- Contaminant Hydrogeology: C. W. Fetter, Thomas Boving, David Kreamer, Waveland Press, 2017
Programme
1. Introduction- The issue of environmental matrix contamination and its impact on water resource quality
- Sources of contamination
- Classification of contaminants: chemical, physical, and toxicological aspects
2. Transport of Non-Reactive Substances in the Saturated Zone
- Review of flow equations in saturated media
- Solute transport: mechanisms and mathematical modeling
- Introduction to stochastic models
3. Transport of Reactive Substances in the Saturated Zone
- Classification of chemical reactions
- Adsorption of water-soluble compounds
- Adsorption of hydrophobic compounds
- Homogeneous reactions
- Radioactive decay
- Biodegradation
4. Transport of Substances in the Unsaturated Zone
- Review of flow equations
- Transport of non-reactive solutes
- Transport of reactive solutes: ADE and Mobile-Immobile models
5. Multiphase Flow
- Relative permeability and Darcy’s law for multiphase flow
- DNAPL and LNAPL: behavior and environmental implications
6. Coastal Aquifers
- Introduction to the problem of coastal aquifer salinization
- Equations for variable-density flow modeling
- Evaluation of the saltwater wedge using simplified approaches (e.g., SWI)
7. Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Aquifers
- Methods for assessing the quantitative status of an aquifer
- Methods for assessing the chemical status of an aquifer
8. Monitoring and Sampling
- Environmental matrix sampling techniques
Design of a monitoring and sampling system
9. Remediation and Site Cleanup
- Source control and remediation techniques
- Plume containment and cleanup strategies
10. Human Health Risk Assessment
- Risk models (EPA): carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic
11. Aquifer Vulnerability
- Index and overlay models for aquifer vulnerability assessment
Practical Exercise
Development of a numerical model to simulate a contamination event and the remediation of a polluted site.
Core Documentation
- Groundwater Engineering, Rajandrea Sethi and Antonio Di Molfetta, Springer Science & Business Media, 2019- Contaminant Hydrogeology: C. W. Fetter, Thomas Boving, David Kreamer, Waveland Press, 2017
Attendance
The course is delivered in person; attendance is not mandatory. However, given the structure of the course—which includes a significant applied component and the development of a practical exercise conducted primarily in class, along with collective discussions on technical and conceptual issues—regular attendance is recommended. Requests for remote participation through lecture streaming will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the academic regulations.Type of evaluation
The final assessment consists of two components: A) Project Report (33% of the final grade) Students are required to submit a written report that summarizes the development and application of a numerical model for solute transport in saturated media. The report will be evaluated based on the following criteria: - Conceptual model - Mathematical model - Processing of results - Presentation of results - Discussion of the report during the oral exam session B) Oral Examination (67% of the final grade) The oral exam includes: - A discussion of a fundamental topic related to transport modeling - A question addressing more technical or practical aspects of the subject Both components (A and B) are mandatory and must be completed to pass the course.