Civil Engineering PE Environmental Engineering and Stormwater Management 3

Question 1

Darcy's Law for groundwater flow through a porous medium is expressed as:

Accepted Answer

Q = K × i × A

Answer

Darcy's Law states Q = KiA, where K is hydraulic conductivity (ft/day or cm/s), i is the hydraulic gradient (Δh/ΔL), and A is the cross-sectional area.

Question 2

The cone of depression around a pumping well describes:

Accepted Answer

The drawdown of the water table forming a funnel-shaped depression

Answer

Pumping lowers the piezometric head around the well in a conical shape; the cone expands until steady-state inflow equals the pumping rate.

Question 3

Aquifer transmissivity T is related to hydraulic conductivity K and saturated thickness b by:

Accepted Answer

T = K × b

Answer

Transmissivity T = Kb represents the aquifer's capacity to transmit water laterally through its full saturated thickness per unit width.

Question 4

In situ air sparging remediates contaminated groundwater by:

Accepted Answer

Injecting air below the water table to volatilize dissolved contaminants for SVE capture

Answer

Air sparging injects compressed air into the saturated zone, stripping volatile organic compounds into the vapor phase where soil vapor extraction (SVE) collects them.

Question 5

RCRA Subtitle D requires that municipal solid waste landfills have a minimum liner system consisting of:

Accepted Answer

A geomembrane directly overlying at least 2 ft of compacted soil with K ≤ 1×10⁻⁷ cm/s

Answer

Subtitle D mandates a composite liner: a flexible membrane liner (geomembrane) placed directly on compacted low-permeability soil (K ≤ 1×10⁻⁷ cm/s, ≥2 ft thick).

Civil Engineering PE Practice Test

Civil Engineering PE Practice Test

Civil Engineering PE Environmental Engineering and Stormwater Management 3