Campbell Environmental Group was retained to perform a hydrogeologic investigation and historical file review on a municipal water supply well field located in western Maine. The public water system utilizes two water supply wells. The wells were installed as a result of extensive groundwater contamination caused by multiple sites throughout the town. During the initial construction, several residences, businesses, and town government offices were connected to the new water supply system. However, these properties only partially represent the town populace. CEG investigated the effect of pumping the local bedrock aquifer and if the current pumping rate could be increased without drawing contaminated groundwater to the new well field.
In order to analyze the aquifer characteristics during active supply well use, CEG monitored groundwater fluctuations within monitoring points adjacent to each of the public water supply wells and in former private water supply wells located within the contaminated groundwater plume.
The results of the investigation indicated that in order to meet additional water demand from the town, the pumping rate or pumping cycles could be increased in the current wells without affecting groundwater flow patterns within the commercialized areas of the town. The study also showed that additional wells could be installed in other areas of the vicinity that contained mapped glaciofluvial deposits that could potentially provide significant sources of groundwater.
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