But predicting the water's movement is crucial to cleaning up contaminated sites. The sensors measure the permeability of rocks.
Permeability determines how fast fluids, such as water, move underground.
Those differences control how fast contaminated water can move. By knowing how quickly a contaminant moves, we can more accurately assess the threat that a site poses to water users. The researchers will install the fiber-optic sensors in uncontaminated, shallow wells at a study site northeast of Lawrence. The sensors, recently developed for biomedical use, will measure fluid pressure, an indication of the underground rock's permeability. Sensors now used for such measurements are about the size of a cigar, and only one is installed per well.