This remediation technique involves pumping groundwater from the contaminated aquifer and treating prior to discharge.

As a stand alone source treatment method ‘Pump and Treat’ can be very inefficient, as abstracted groundwater tends to follow a preferential route within the aquifer. It also doesn’t offer a direct means of targeting contamination held within the soil matrix and doesn’t effectively move NAPL trapped within the soil ‘pore-space’. The consequence of this is rebound, whereby contamination over time desorbs/dissolves back into the flushed through groundwater.

The ideal application for a ‘Pump and Treat’ solution is the hydraulic containment of dissolved phase contamination that may be migrating off-site. It can also be used as a means of optimising other techniques such as Steam Enhanced Remediation or Chemical Oxidation. It can also be used to support excavation activities as part of an ex-situ treatment process.

Churngold can offer a range of options for ‘Pump and Treat’, including a fully automated system complete with telemetry control to basic systems ideal for the supporting earthwork activities. A number of options can be used to process abstracted groundwater including:

• Silt Separators;
• Sand Filters;
• Oil-Water Separators, to be used when NAPL is present within the abstracted Total Fluid;
• Air Stripper, ideal for removing volatile fractions from groundwater;
• Granular Activated Carbon for the treatment of most organic contaminants;
• Various reactive media for the capture of Heavy Metals

The design of a ‘Pump and Treat’ system requires careful consideration of geological and hydrogeological conditions, understanding of the contaminant plume geometry and contaminants being targeted. Churngold offers in-house expertise in the design and implementation of ‘Pump and Treat’ solutions, including the installation and operation of systems on-site.