1997-98
NEW MEXICO
HIGH SCHOOL
SUPERCOMPUTING CHALLENGE
TEAM ABSTRACT
069
Highland High School
Engineering/Environmental Study
Transport of Contaminants Through Water
Living in a desert, clean water becomes a very precious natural resource. Unfortunately, through industrial and many other factors, this water, needed for the survival of modern desert cities, is being polluted.
Through our project, we intend to do an extensive study into how pollutants travel through a city's underground water supply. Also, to analyze which pollutants are more mobile and therefore get to more of the population. Some pollutants spread through the water supply faster than others, it is important to see which ones travel faster and also to see if these are particularly harmul. Through a careful study of how pollutants travel in a city water system, steps can be made to stop the most harmful before they do serious damage to a city's population.
From initial contamination, to the eventual contamination of an entire section of the city water system, the spread of pollutants through water seems to be a random occurance. however, it is our claim that an accurate prediction of final contamination can be made using three things: area of initial contamination, contaminant source term, and the rate at which the contaminant is diffused through the water system.
The projected paths for a pollutant depend on these various factors, including the nature of soil as a function of locations and depth to water. It is our thesis that by using a computer, programed with these factors defined, a list of possible, precise paths of flow for the said contaminant can be generated.