Abstract
An approach is presented to determine the seasonal variations in travel time in a bank filtration system using a passive heat tracer test. The temperature in the aquifer varies seasonally because of temperature variations of the infiltrating surface water and at the soil surface. Temperature was measured with distributed temperature sensing along fiber optic cables that were inserted vertically into the aquifer with direct push equipment. The approach was applied to a bank filtration system consisting of a sequence of alternating, elongated recharge basins and rows of recovery wells. A SEAWAT model was developed to simulate coupled flow and heat transport. The model of a two-dimensional vertical cross section is able to simulate the temperature of the water at the well and the measured vertical temperature profiles reasonably well. MODPATH was used to compute flowpaths and the travel time distribution. At the study site, temporal variation of the pumping discharge was the dominant factor influencing the travel time distribution. For an equivalent system with a constant pumping rate, variations in the travel time distribution are caused by variations in the temperature-dependent viscosity. As a result, travel times increase in the winter, when a larger fraction of the water travels through the warmer, lower part of the aquifer, and decrease in the summer, when the upper part of the aquifer is warmer.
Highlights
A bank filtration system is a type of managed aquifer recharge system where infiltration of water is induced at the bank of a water body and recovered by wells (e.g., Maliva and Missimer 2012)
An approach is presented to determine the seasonal variations in travel time in a bank filtration system using a passive heat tracer test
A passive heat tracer experiment was conducted at a bank filtration system to estimate seasonal variations in the travel time distribution
Summary
A bank filtration system is a type of managed aquifer recharge system where infiltration of water is induced at the bank of a water body and recovered by wells (e.g., Maliva and Missimer 2012). It is a cost-effective and sustainable filtration method for the production of potable water (Ray et al 2003; Huelshoff et al 2009; Maliva and Missimer 2012). Fiber optic cables may be inserted into unconsolidated aquifers using direct-push equipment, so that no borehole is needed (Bakker et al 2015)
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