NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Fractured Rock Contaminant Hydrology

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Groundwater in sedimentary bedrock (i.e., bedrock aquifers) is the most important source of fresh water in**Canada and globally; however, many of these aquifers are polluted due to a large variety of human activities.**Chlorinated organic solvents are the most common industrial contaminant found in groundwater. Little is**known about how subsurface conditions affect movement of these contaminants from source areas to receptors**because of over-reliance on poor characterisation tools. Dr. Parker, with her NSERC Industrial Research Chair**on Groundwater Contamination in Fractured Rock (held since 2007), has overcome these limitations using new**technologies and detailed field and laboratory measurements applied to real contaminated sites. Dr. Parker and**her research team show that pollutants move quickly from their source through rock fractures but are slowed by**spreading into the bedrock pores accessed through many active fractures where they are sorbed to minerals and**slowly degrade due to naturally occurring chemical and microbial reactions. Over many decades the plumes**become stationary or even retreat back toward source areas. The next five years of research will use**measurement and computer modeling insights to predict future conditions and rates of natural or enhanced**remediation to hasten cleanup. Results will be useful for sedimentary rock aquifers worldwide, informing**decisions regarding groundwater contamination threats to water supply wells and ecosystems, and how to**protect both. This work enables reliable, cost-effective management and eventual cleanup of polluted sites and**positions Canadians as world leaders in groundwater science, technology manufacturing, and resource**protection. This is achieved through hands-on student training at real-world sites and improved methods and**technologies for protecting a global resource that is critical for sustaining life and supports producing food and**manufacturing.