An improved method and apparatus for simultaneously monitoring the
magnitudes and directions of fluid fluxes and dissolved contaminants
fluxes of a general flow system in both simply and multiply screened
monitoring wells as well as unscreened boreholes is provided. Also,
parameters such as fracture locations, separations, inclinations,
orientations of inclination and apertures in a fracture flow system can
be estimated. The invention comprises the use of a sorbent layer
containing an insoluble sorbent matrix that retains dissolved
contaminants, which is attached to an impermeable flexible liner. The
matrix may also contain visible or invisible tracers that can be
displaced by the fluid flow. The monitoring comprises placing devices in
contact with the contaminated flow over certain intervals, thereby
allowing contaminants to be sorbed to the sorbing matrix of the layer.
Sufficient time is allowed for the contaminant concentrations in the flow
field to reach equilibrium. The sorptive layer is then removed from
contact with the flow field and analyzed to determine cumulative
contaminant fluxes and cumulative fluid fluxes. Dye tracer marks on the
sorptive layer allow for identifying fracture locations, separations,
inclinations, orientation of inclinations and apertures as well as flow
directions in the fracture planes.