Groundwater Contaminant Transport Model: American Bottoms Aquifer, East St. Louis, IL

Krasowski, Michael P.; Jones, Allan E.; Gulsen, Esra; Hillermann, Max Q.; Zavelle, Atticus; Zhao, Linduo; Abrams, Daniel B.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130897 Copy

Description

Title

Groundwater Contaminant Transport Model: American Bottoms Aquifer, East St. Louis, IL

Author(s)

• Krasowski, Michael P.
• Jones, Allan E.
• Gulsen, Esra
• Hillermann, Max Q.
• Zavelle, Atticus
• Zhao, Linduo
• Abrams, Daniel B.

Issue Date

2025-12

Keyword(s)

• American Bottoms region
• Mississippi River
• Southwest Illinois
• Aquifer
• Groundwater
• Federal Aid Highway Act
• Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)
• Dewatering
• Hydrogeology
• Sauget Industrial Corridor (SIC)
• East St. Louis
• Contaminant plume
• Industrial waste
• Water quality
• Chlorobenzene
• Transient flow modeling
• Steady state modeling dynamics
• Pollution
• Hazardous chemicals
• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)
• Predictive simulation
• Modeling
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
• Remediation

Date of Ingest

2025-12-22T14:25:58-06:00

Geographic Coverage

Illinois

Abstract

The American Bottoms region, in southwestern Illinois, spans east from the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. Major municipalities in the region are East St. Louis, Granite City, National City, Sauget, East Alton, and Wood River. The American Bottoms region is bordered to the west by the Mississippi River and to the north, east, and south by limestone bluffs. The American Bottoms Aquifer was formed by glacial sand and gravel at its base and alluvial sediment deposits from the historic Mississippi River including clay, sand, and gravel. Groundwater levels were particularly low in this region during the 1950’s and 1960s due to both large groundwater withdrawals and a severe drought from 1952 to 1956. Following the passing of the Federal Aid Highway Act in 1956, the East St. Louis metropolitan area completed significant highway construction projects. During this time, groundwater levels were historically low, and many projects were constructed below the natural ground elevation and water table. As groundwater levels stabilized in the mid-1970s (USACE 1976) due to decreased groundwater use, many of these highway underpasses and roads as well as subsurface infrastructure (e.g., basements) became in danger of flooding (USACE 1976; Sanderson et al. 1984). The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has been operating dewatering wells to prevent flooding on major highways in the East St. Louis metropolitan area since at least 1973. These wells prevent flooding on Route 3 in Venice, IL, 25th Street, and interstate highways I-55, I-64, and I-70 in East St. Louis, IL (Sanderson et al. 1984). To prevent flooding on roads and in subsurface infrastructure, these dewatering wells extract millions of gallons of water daily (P. Sawyer, “Personal Communication,” 2019), which is then released to the Mississippi River via canals. The Sauget Industrial Corridor (SIC) contains portions of East St. Louis, Sauget, and Cahokia Heights, IL (Abt Associates 2018; Lewis and Arthur 2016). The SIC has a long and complex history of contamination. Historically, industrial waste was often abandoned in unlined landfills, waste pits, and streams which allowed contaminants (e.g., chlorobenzene) to interact with the adjacent aquifer material unimpeded. Thirty-five of these industrial waste sites have since been identified. This situation has resulted in significant groundwater contamination in the southern portion of the American Bottoms region. Recently, observations and assessments identified northward migration of the SIC chlorobenzene plume towards the IDOT dewatering system (Abt Associates 2018). Sampling at IDOT dewatering sites has identified low concentrations of chlorobenzene present in the groundwater—particularly at the Missouri Ave. dewatering site. These findings have spurred a desire to better understand the flow and transport dynamics within the aquifer at these sites. IDOT contracted with researchers at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) to investigate these phenomena. Previously, the ISWS delivered two internal, related reports to IDOT: (1) steady state modeling, and (2) transient flow modeling. This current report serves as an update to the transient flow modeling report. Within, we focused on initial efforts to simulate the transport of dissolved chlorobenzene in the vicinity of the SIC and IDOT dewatering systems.

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

technical report

Language

eng

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