Contamination of groundwater and surface water by heavy metals, nutrients, or xenobiotic organic compounds in urban areas is a common problem all over the world. Every year the Regions of Denmark spend DKK 400 million on contaminated sites to provide reliable data for risk assessment and clean-up, and Denmark is a world leader in the area. The overall objective of the GEOCON project was to develop an integrated and cost-effective tool for the characterisation of contaminated sites. The project aimed to achieve this goal by a multidisciplinary approach, integrating hydrogeological, geochemical, and geophysical methods.

The project was led by the DTU (Danish Technical University) in collaboration with Aarhus University and other national and international institutions. The HydroGeophysics Group at Aarhus university utilized their skills in instrument development and geophysical data collection in the project. HGG has developed 3D ERT/IP data acquisition techniques and instrumentation and developed equipment for electrical logging in boreholes.

The developed methodology in the GEOCON project was used at 3 landfill sites, and the results were rapidly transferred to Danish consultant companies and used in Denmark and internationally.