The Smiths bought a home in a suburban development where the water supply was a shallow groundwater

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Question:

The Smiths bought a home in a suburban development where the water supply was a shallow groundwater aquifer. A few months ago, they noticed a strange smell when they took showers, and the drinking water has begun to taste foul. Last week, while washing dishes, the Smiths thought they smelled gasoline in their kitchen. The local TV news channel ran an investigative report on leakage from storage tanks at gas stations, and the Smiths suspected that this might be the cause of their problem. They hired a groundwater consulting company to solve the problem, and you have been put in charge of the project. The following map illustrates the Smiths' neighborhood, showing the location of their home and two local gas stations the Smiths suspect to be the cause of their water problem. You have surveyed the neighborhood using state-of-the-art Concentrations (in parts per billion) of semivolatile compounds in the area surrounding the Smith home (nd = not detected).

Detection instruments to measure the amount of volatile compounds in the soil around the Smiths' home. These chemicals are released into the ground when corroded gas tanks leak and are indicators of soil and groundwater contamination. Concentrations greater than 50 parts per billion (ppb) are considered dangerous. The data are shown in red numbers on the map.

Make a contour map of the soil contamination level using a 10-ppm contour interval. This is not a map showing elevation, but the rules are very much the same. Color-code the map to show levels of potential danger: red for values above the danger threshold (50 ppb); a second color for probable future threat (between 30 and 50 ppb); and a third color for possible future threat (between 10 and 30 ppb).

a. Does either gas station have a leakage problem? Explain your conclusion.

b. In what direction does the local groundwater flow? How do you know?

c. Which homes will be the next to feel the effects of the gasoline leakage?

d. What additional problems has your research discovered?