Design of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory integrated field scale pumping and infiltration test

The high degree of heterogeneity present in the Snake River Plain subsurface precludes utilization of small or intermediate scale observation alone for hydrologic and geochemical characterization efforts. The minimum representative elemental volume for the fractured, intercalated sequence of basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds is considered to be in the 105 to 107 m3 range. An integrated program of large scale field experiments, along with supporting laboratory investigations, has been initiated at the INEL to provide the most reliable information obtainable regarding aquifer flow and contaminant transport through the vadose zone