Ans 1.

Soil Porosity:

The open spaces or voids present inside the soil are known as Soil Porosity. These voids can be filled
either with air or water. The soil porosity helps in storing nutrients and water inside the soil, so it is a
critical part of soil characteristics. It is usually expressed in percentage and is influenced by factors like
size of soil particles, shape of soil particles and their composition.

Groundwater Recharge:

The process of replenishing of groundwater by the movement of water from rainfall or other water
sources into the ground. This is generally possible by various methods such as water movement through
opening from the soil surface, infiltration from rivers or reservoirs, or even from artificial sources like
irrigation during agriculture or leaking water pipes. This recharging of groundwater is essential so as to
maintain a sustainable groundwater levels and maintain the overall ecological balance.

Contaminant Transport:

The movement of contaminants or toxins through soil or groundwater is referred to as Contaminant

Transport. The contaminants move over time, and then further extend through the porous media. The
soil permeability, groundwater velocity, chemical characteristics of the contaminants are the major
factors that influence the contaminant transport.

Pumping Test: A Pumping test is a widely used test for evaluating the characterstics of an aquifer. The
test is done by pumping a volume of water at a fixed rate from a well & then monitoring the levels of
water in the well and adjacent wells over time. This is done to examine the hydraulic conductivity,
storativity, and transmissivity of an aquifer.

Drawdown Curve:

A drawdown curve is a graphical depiction of the alterations in level of water in a pumped well over time
all along a pumping test. The drawdown curve usually shows the connection between the rate of
pumping and the fall in level of water in the well. It helps us in inspecting the reaction of the aquifer to
pumping and can provide valuable observations into its hydraulic features, such as its transmissivity and
storativity.

Ans 2.
Ans 3.

Ans 4.

The ten steps I would take in such a situation are:

1. Evaluating the Situation: The first step that I would take is immediately judging the magnitude,
point, and severity of the spill, along with the type of oil involved.
2. Activating Emergency Response Team: Then I would alert the appropriate experts and form a
group skilled in spill response, because it’s a critical step in such situation.
3. Look out for Containment: After that, I would deploy booms and hurdles to contain the spread
of oil and hinder it from stretching waterways or sensitive regions, so as to minimize the area of
impact.
4. Halting the Source: Then I would shut off the flow of oil from the storage container in order to
avoid further discharge.
 5. Evacuating and Creating Isolation Zone: This is not much of an important step, but if necessary, I
would request people to empty nearby regions and establish an segregation region to protect
everybody from probable hazards such as fire.
6. Evaluating Environmental Impact: The next step would be assessing the probable effect of the
spill on the neighboring surroundings, wildlife, and water sources.
7. Arranging a Cleanup: Then I would be executing appropriate cleanup procedures, with the help
of absorbent materials, skimmers, and vacuums, whenever available, to eliminate oil from
affected regions.
8. Dumping Contaminated Materials: After the cleanup, I would safely throw away hazardous
waste, such as oil-soaked soil or debris, in accordance with environmental regulations.
9. Further Monitoring and Remediation: I would constantly monitor the region for any chronic
contamination and execute remediation efforts as required.
10. Final Reporting and Documentation: The final step would be reporting the spill to appropriate
supervisory organizations and documenting all actions taken, along with cleanup efforts and any
environmental impact.

Establishing an isolation zone not only depends on the quantity of oil spilled, but also on the type of oil
spilled and area of concern or area affected. Although 1,000 gallons oil spillage may not be that of a
larger oil spillage, but I would still recommend establishing an isolation zone as it would help in avoiding
any kind of health problems, like respiratory or for the people living in the region. Moreover, it would
help in a smooth functioning of the other steps such as cleanup and containment efforts.