Preliminary Groundwater modeling of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington: Deciphering erratic trends in PFAS contamination
Faculty Mentor
Chad Pritchard
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
Geology
Abstract
The West Plains of Spokane County, eastern Washington is a plateau of Columbia River Basalt between Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and south of the Spokane River. Primarily in Airway Heights, the quantity and quality of drinking water pumped from basalt aquifers has affected residents in the area. The most recent issue is PFAS contamination, which is thought to negatively affect human health and is found in drinking water wells across the West Plains. We interpret subsurface geology using new well logs from the Palisades area. When using ArcGIS PRO, well information can then be interpreted and projected as various data points. After this, it can be interpolated to predict multiple geological horizons and can be used to estimate the flow direction of groundwater. Using PFAS results from across the West Plains the erratic contamination can be linked to possible sources, including airports, fire stations, car washing facilities, or dumps. These models can help residents in the West Plains Region understand the possible contamination-sinks as well as create a safer environment for them and their families.
Recommended Citation
Toulou, Erin, "Preliminary Groundwater modeling of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington: Deciphering erratic trends in PFAS contamination " (2023). 2023 Symposium. 46.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/46
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Preliminary Groundwater modeling of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington: Deciphering erratic trends in PFAS contamination
PUB NCR
The West Plains of Spokane County, eastern Washington is a plateau of Columbia River Basalt between Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and south of the Spokane River. Primarily in Airway Heights, the quantity and quality of drinking water pumped from basalt aquifers has affected residents in the area. The most recent issue is PFAS contamination, which is thought to negatively affect human health and is found in drinking water wells across the West Plains. We interpret subsurface geology using new well logs from the Palisades area. When using ArcGIS PRO, well information can then be interpreted and projected as various data points. After this, it can be interpolated to predict multiple geological horizons and can be used to estimate the flow direction of groundwater. Using PFAS results from across the West Plains the erratic contamination can be linked to possible sources, including airports, fire stations, car washing facilities, or dumps. These models can help residents in the West Plains Region understand the possible contamination-sinks as well as create a safer environment for them and their families.
