NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF GROUNDWATER TRANSPORT WITHIN THE FRACTURED ROCK AQUIFER OF BRUNSWICK FORMATION, NEW JERSEY

This study employed a numerical model to investigate the transport dynamics of chloride particles within the complex fracture network of the Brunswick aquifer. The unique hydrogeological characteristics of the Brunswick aquifer necessitates a dual porosity approach, wherein different porosity values are assigned to the Brunswick formation and the Brunswick fractured rock system, respectively, to ensure adequate representation of the groundwater dynamics during modeling. Leveraging chloride’s conservative properties and reliability as a proxy for delineating contaminants, MODPATH was used to determine the travel paths, times and distances of chloride particles from points of introduction to discharge points. The results highlighted the groundwater flow regime and demonstrated the influence of porosity values on contaminant transport times. Particle tracking analysis revealed that the hypothetical particles introduced at Montclair State University community were discharged into important water resources, such as the Third River, and the Passaic River, with travel times varying based on porosity values. The study's findings have important implications for understanding groundwater flow, groundwater salinity, contaminant transport, and contaminant retention in complex aquifer systems.