Isotopic tracing of perchlorate sources in groundwater from Pomona, California

Abstract

The groundwater of Pomona, California, is contaminated with perchlorate (ClO4-). This water is treated to reduce the ClO4- concentration to less than 6μgL−1 for compliance with California Department of Public Health drinking water regulations. A study of the isotopic composition of oxygen and chlorine in ClO4- has been conducted to determine the source of the contamination. Isotopic compositions were measured for ClO4- samples extracted from 14 wells, yielding ranges of δ18O values from −10.8‰ to −8.0‰, Δ17O values from +4.6‰ to +7.5‰, and δ37Cl values from −12.8‰ to −8.9‰. Evaluation of mixing proportions using published isotopic data for three ClO4- end-members (synthetic, Atacama, and indigenous natural ClO4-) indicates that contamination is dominantly (85–89%) Atacama ClO4- derived from past use of imported Chilean nitrate fertilizer in citrus cultivation. This interpretation is consistent with (1) aerial photography archives showing extensive citrus fields surrounding Pomona in the early- to mid-20th century, (2) mass-balance estimates for ClO4-, and (3) numerical hydrologic models yielding travel-times for ClO4- from fields to wells that are in the range of 15 to >100years. The hydrologic models predict that ClO4- contamination of Pomona groundwater will persist for decades into the future.