RESUMO
Roads and traffic can be a source of water-bound pollutants, which can percolate through the unsaturated zone to groundwater. Deicing salt is widely used on roads in northern Europe during winter and is usually applied at a time when the temperature is below zero and the soil is partly frozen. Understanding the mechanism by which water-bound pollutants such as deicing salt are transferred from roads to groundwater is highly important for groundwater protection, environmental sustainability and road maintenance. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) can be used for tracing the infiltration of deicing salt in different seasons, including the frozen period, as a step towards identifying pollutant infiltration pathways. In this study, a tracer-ERT monitoring method and analytical process was developed and evaluated for use in investigating and demonstrating deicing salt infiltration pathways in road structures in different seasons and weather conditions. The method involves using dissolved sodium chloride as a tracer and monitoring its infiltration using a multi-electrode array system. The tracer tests were performed at the same location in different seasons over a 1-year period. The results indicated high seasonal variation in percolation pattern and flow velocity, with large decreases in December (winter), most likely due to preferential flow paths within the road shoulder. These findings can be applied to other water-soluble pollutants that move from the road surface to groundwater.
RESUMO
Traffic accidents sometimes lead to the spread of hazardous compounds to the environment. Accidental spills of hazardous compounds on roads in the vicinity of vulnerable objects such as water supplies pose a serious threat to water quality and have to be assessed. This study compared three different assessment methods, electrical resistivity measurements, analytical flow calculations, and 1D and 2D dynamic flow modeling, to describe rapid transport processes in the road shoulder and roadside verge after a major spill. The infiltration and flow paths of water-borne substances were described during simulated discharge of pollutants on different road types. Full-scale tracer tests using sodium chloride were carried out at nine different road locations in Sweden. Analysis of grain size distribution and infiltrometer tests were carried out at the road shoulder and verges. The pathways and travel times were traced using resistivity measurements and 3D inverse modeling. The resistivity measurements were compared to analytical flow calculations and 1D and 2D dynamic modeling. All measurement sites were highly heterogeneous, which caused preferential flow. Vertical flow velocities of 1.4-8.6 × 10-4 m/s were measured. The results of the analytical calculations and flow modeling were of the same order of magnitude. The measurements showed that almost all infiltration goes directly into the road embankment, hence the composition and structure of the built-up road must be considered. The non-destructive resistivity measurements and 3D modeling provided useful information for clarifying the infiltration and flow pattern of water-borne compounds from road runoff.
