Groundwater

The protection of subsurface resources, such as soil and groundwater, requires the development of modern analysis techniques and remediation technologies. The major focus of the groundwater division lies in the evaluation and prediction of groundwater flow systems and their mass transport characteristics including multiphase solubilization processes. Laboratory and field experiments as well as numerical models are employed. The division works in close cooperation with geologists, geochemists and aquatic chemists in the development of predictive models for the design of remedial measures under economic and ecological constraints.

  • Studies of groundwater flow in alluvial aquifers (simple porosity), fractured aquifers (discrete) and Karst systems (double porosity) and transport processes in heterogeneous aquifers.
  • Experimental studies and numerical simulations for pollutant mobilization processes connected with remediation technologies such as the groundwater recirculation well (GZB), including multiple-scale laboratory and field experiments.
  • Integration of exchange mechanisms between surface water and groundwater fluctuations  in floodway areas due to relocation of river dikes.
  • Mass transport and transformation processes in the nearfield of leaky sewage pipes, including development of expert  systems for analysis and prediction of groundwater quality consequences.