Can Industrial Operations impact groundwater both physically (flow direction and rate) and chemically (water quality and contamination)?
Physical: The sulphur storage facility will be constructed below the groundwater table. While the cell is open, the excavation will be kept dry so the groundwater will tend to flow slowly, in an outwards direction. When capped and flooded, the groundwater will tend to flow slowly, in an outwards direction. Groundwater investigations indicate that groundwater flow in the surface till is very slow, less than 1 metre/year in the two quarter sections that have been investigated to date. Chemical: Sulphur can potentially form sulphuric acid through a bacterial process involving water, organic matter, air and sulphur. When the cell is open, impact to groundwater is prevented by the cell liners. When the cell is closed and capped, the presence of oxygen is eliminated and the temperature drops below 10°C, thus preventing the acidification process from occurring.
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