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Modeling of the Elk river spill 2014

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Abstract

A dispersion-advection model was used to simulate the Elk river chemical spill 2014. The numerical and analytical solutions were used to predict the concentrations of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) at the water treatment plants located along the Elk and Kanawha rivers. The results are of similar magnitude as measured concentrations although a time-lag was found between modeled and measured plume arrival likely due to accumulation of systematic errors. Considering MCHM guidelines for drinking water, the spill represented a serious health threat through the water up taken by the treatment plant located on the Elk river and it also constituted a risk of contamination for the drinking water produced by treatment plants located on the Kanawha river.

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Notes

  1. Crude MCHM is a mixture of pure 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (referred to as MCHM in this report) and other organic compounds (Eastman Company Chemical 2011)

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Acknowledgments

This study was made as part of the course 12233 Water Pollution at the Technical University of Denmark. We gratefully acknowledge Stefan Trapp, Professor at the Environmental Engineering Department of the Technical University of Denmark, for his help and advice throughout our work and for providing us all the necessary scientific materia. This contribution also received valuable input from A.J. Whelton, University of South Alabama. We thank Paul Ziemkiewicz,West Virginia University, who allowed us to use some of his work in order to describe the duration of the leakage. The present work also benefits from the North Kentucky Water District which provided us crucial measured data to perform the evaluation of the model.

Compliance with ethical standards

This study was made as part of the course 12233 Water Pollution at the Technical University of Denmark. This research didn’t involve any human participants neither animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

    Lucien Stolze & Federico Volpin

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  1. Lucien Stolze
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  2. Federico Volpin
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Correspondence to Lucien Stolze.

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Responsible editor: Michael Matthies

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Stolze, L., Volpin, F. Modeling of the Elk river spill 2014. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 7980–7985 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4331-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4331-z

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