Numerical Simulation of Preferential Flow of Contaminants in Soil

A simple modeling approach was suggested to simulate preferential transport of water and contaminants in soil. After saturated hydraulic conductivity was interpolated by means of Krige interpolation method or scaling method, and then zoned, the locations where saturated hydraulic conductivity was larger represented regions where preferential flow occurred, because heterogeneity of soil, one of the mechanisms resulting in preferential flow, could be reflected through the difference in saturated hydraulic conductivity. The modeling approach was validated through numerical simulation of contaminant transport in a two-dimensional hypothetical soil profile. The results of the numerical simulation showed that the approach suggested in this study was feasible.