Markov process modeling of groundwater contamination problems

The problem of groundwater contamination is investigated by invoking the analogy to the diffusive Markov process in the probability theory. Special emphases are placed on the following issues: (1) the amount of pollutants entering the protected zone; (2) probability distribution and statistical properties of the random time for a tracer particle to reach the protected zone; and (3) the time rate of contamination arriving at the protected zone. It is shown that these are governed by differential equations analogous to the so-called Kolmogorov backward equation, or derivable from such an equation. Application of the new theory is illustrated by simple examples.