This animation illustrates groundwater pollution caused by improperly buried hazardous waste. It is based on analysis of site chemical and historical data at a Superfund site to identify nature and extent of soil and groundwater contamination due to buried drums of paint sludge.

Key hydrogeological and contamination concepts illustrated include:

• Leaching of Hazardous Waste – How buried drums release contaminants into surrounding soil and groundwater.
• Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport – Depicting how pollutants migrate through aquifers, driven by groundwater movement.
• Dissolution of Chemicals – The process by which hazardous compounds dissolve into groundwater, forming a contaminant plume.
• Conceptual Site Models – Visualizing contamination spread using plume modeling techniques and flow direction analysis.

This simple animation is an attractive method to convey site conditions to environmental consultants, legal teams, and regulators.

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