Application of probabilistic analogy to groundwater contamination problems

This thesis addresses the groundwater contamination problem from a probabilistic point of view. The objective of this study is to obtain analytical solutions for the backward type Kolmogorov equations governing certain crucial variables in the case of a two-dimensional medium. These include the rate at which pollutants enter the protected zone and the length of time that a pollutant particle takes to travel from a given location to the boundary of the protected zone. It is assumed that the groundwater flow is horizontal and uniform, and that a protected zone is located downstream. Analytical solutions are obtained by using the techniques of Laplace transform and separation of variables. Numerical results are given for two cases, one with flow coming from a boundary which is imperious to the pollutant, and another with flow coming from infinity.