A new approach to understanding multiple-source groundwater contamination: Factor analysis and chemical mass balances

Abstract Groundwater contamination studies are becoming more important particularly concerning their ability to identify specific sources of the contamination. In most cases, groundwater contamination studies are based upon general physical and/or chemical characterization of subsurface waters and provide information only as to whether a specific sample from a particular aquifer is being contaminated or not. A technique utilizing instrumental neutron activation analysis together with principal componene factor analysis and chemical mass balances has been shown to be a useful tool in helping to differentiate among several possible sources for groundwater contamination. In addition, this technique has been utilized to apportion relative contributions from each source of contamination.