Alluvial Groundwater Research Articles

Hydrogeochemical processes controlling fluoride enrichment within alluvial and hard rock aquifers in a part of a semi-arid region of Northern India

Rock–water interaction along with mineral dissolution/ precipitation plays a profound role in the control of fluoride ion concentration within the alluvial groundwater in a part of semi-arid northern India. In the premonsoon season, the alluvial region experiences evaporative processes leading to increase in Na+ ions which through reverse ion exchange processes are adsorbed onto suitable sites within the aquifer matrix in exchange for Ca2+ ion in solution. Increase in Ca2+ ions in solution inhibits fluorite mineral dissolution, thereby controlling premonsoon fluoride ion concentration within alluvial groundwaters (1.40 ± 0.5 mg/l). In the postmonsoon season, however, higher average fluoride ion concentration within the alluvial aquifer samples (2.33 ± 0.80 mg/l) is observed mainly due to increase in silicate weathering of fluoride-bearing rocks and direct ion exchange processes enabling Ca2+ ion uptake from solution accompanied with the release of fluoride ions. Combined effect of these processes results in average fluoride ion concentration falling above the WHO drinking water permissible limit (1.5 mg/l). Alternatively, the hard rock aquifer samples within the study area have an average fluoride ion concentration falling below the permissible limit in both the seasons.

Impact of Fertilizer Application and Agricultural Crops on the Quality of Groundwater in the Alluvial Aquifer, Northern France

In France, the quality of water resources with respect to nitrates deteriorated between the beginning of 1970s and 2000s. A stabilization of the situation and of the improvements has been observed punctually since the 2000s. Despite the application of the Nitrates Directive in France (91/676/CEE), the overall situation remains degraded, with numerous increases in nitrate concentrations in the underground waters. In the North of France, an alluvial groundwater’s nitrate concentration exceeds the drinking water limit fixed at 50 mg/l, in the sectors of Catillon-sur-Sambre and Rejet-de-Beaulieu. In order to quantify and model the impact of agricultural nitrogen on groundwater, an approach based on an integrated model has been established using three specific codes for each lithological horizon: Agriflux (for the root zone), VS2DT (for the unsaturated zone), and ModFlow-MT3D (for the saturated zone). The results illustrate the sensitivity of quality to agricultural crops used. Based on scenarios over 20 years, the predictions show a link between nitrate concentrations in the groundwater and agricultural crops as well as fertilization. Improving quality with a concentration of nitrate less than 50 mg/l requires a reasoned management accompanied by rotations of crops and transformations into grasslands and for sensitive areas the use of the culture producing the least nitrogen flow such as beets. The integrated model constitutes an efficient tool for predicting the evolution of the groundwater quality, especially in sensitive areas like the valleys with a rapid nitrate transfer to the aquifer. The model makes it possible to correctly evaluate the concentrations of nitrates reaching the groundwater with a monitoring of the concentration evolution in each lithological horizon, thus constituting a good tool for the management of agricultural pollution.

Identifying local and regional groundwater in basins: chemical and stable isotopic attributes of multivariate classification of hydrochemical data, the Lower Virgin River Basin, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, U.S.A

ABSTRACTIn the Basin and Range Province of the Southwestern U.S.A., deep carbonate groundwater has been suggested as a significant source to many overlying basin-fill alluvial aquifer systems. Notwithstanding, testing this hypothesis is limited by obtaining data from such considerable depths and complex geology.This study uses δ2H and δ18O data from springs, rivers, and wells tapping shallow basin-fill groundwater to test the hydrochemical interpretation of deep regional carbonate groundwater flow into the basin-fill aquifers. Stable isotopic and major ion attributes of hydrochemical facies suggest basin-fill alluvial groundwater of the Lower Virgin River Basin is a mixture of precipitation recharge within the Lower Virgin River Basin or the Clover and Escalante Desert Basin northwards, and the deep carbonate flow. The data support the conclusions that in the Lower Virgin River Basin, deep carbonate groundwater is an important source to the alluvial aquifer system and likely accounts for approximately 50% of the alluvial aquifer groundwater. Na+, K+, and SO42– increase in the basin-fill alluvial groundwaters outside the Virgin River floodplain appears to be related with upwelling of deep regional groundwater, and indicating that the chemical character of the basin-fill alluvial groundwaters are related to the deeper flow systems.

Spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters in the Velika Morava River Basin, central Serbia

The reported study includes analysis of 14 physico-chemical parameters of alluvial groundwater based on data collected from 26 piezometers in the Velika Morava River Basin from 2004 to 2014. Eleven of the parameters were assessed applying hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis to examine the spatial distribution, identify the main processes in groundwater variations and segregate the dominant sampling sites based on the characteristic parameters. A Piper diagram shows that the studied alluvial groundwaters are predominantly of the Ca2+–HCO3− type (67.3%) and to a lesser extent of the mixed Ca2+–Mg2+–HCO3− type (21.6%). Hierarchical clustering results in four clusters depending on the similarities of the hydrochemical parameters. Principal component analysis explains 65.4% of total variance with PC1 (32.5% variance), PC2 (19.8% variance) and PC3 (13.1% variance). A comparative analysis reveals that the main processes responsible for the hydrochemical composition of groundwater in the Velika Morava alluvion are carbonate dissolution-anthropogenic pressure, feldspar weathering and migration caused by river–aquifer interaction. Considerable loading of the alluvial groundwater caused by a complex geologic framework, natural factors and human activities in the river basin contributed to the segregation of six dominant sampling sites. The obtained results can be very useful in the development of an optimal spatial plan for groundwater monitoring, focusing on increasing the density of the national monitoring network and frequency of assessing alluvial groundwater on the dominant sampling sites (from annual to seasonal).

Пойменные крупнотравные леса острова Сахалин (класс Salicetea sachalinensis Ohba 1973)

Пойменные крупнотравные леса острова Сахалин (класс Salicetea sachalinensis Ohba 1973)

Investigating the effects of heavy metals in the waste leachate on the groundwater quality near the landfill (case study: Landfill of Saravan, Rasht)

The main and fundamental scientific reason of scientific community attention to the issue of leachate pollution and its treatment is the possible danger of contamination of water, soil and to some extent air. The reason is that the leachate of landfill in fact is acomplex waste withhigh pollution. Today, in our country, especially in northern areas due to high groundwater levels, the problem of waste disposal and the effects of their leachate entering alluvial groundwater and aquifer contamination downstream based on hydrodynamic thickness in the movement of water is highly regarded andentering a considerable amount of pollution (nitrates, heavy metals, etc.) to underground water sources used for drinking and agriculture, in the long term become a social problem. Saravan landfill is located on 15 km road Rasht of to Tehran is like a black spot in the in the green Hyrcanian forest and receives more than 500 tons of waste daily from provinces cities,particularly Rasht which with no environmental assessment for selected waste disposal, waste disposal is inadequate in Saravan and because of evaporation, fermentation and decomposition of the waste and leachate percolation into the soil and water resources it is associated with high pollution and unleashed leachate river in the heart of nature and based on the ranking of Index criteria it is unacceptable. In this study, sampling was conducted in 2 upstream wells, 3 downstream wells of Saravan landfill then the samples were analyzed by atomic absorption.The results indicate the presence of heavy metals (chromium - lead – zinc -iron - manganese) in water of downstream wells of the landfill compared to upstream wells and the control wells or in other words, it was significantly more than the control and upstream wells and the average concentrations of Pb, Cr, MN, Fe higher than drinking water standards and the mean concentration of MN and Cr in the research water wells was more than standard water for irrigation and agricultural. It shows the leachate percolation into soil and ground water that has been polluted the nearby water of the landfill.

Vertical and Horizontal Distribution of Bacterial Communities in Alluvial Groundwater of the Nakdong River Bank

ABSTRACTAs a collaborative effort to characterize a pilot test site for managed aquifer recharge (MAR), vertical and horizontal distributions of microbial communities in the river bank subsurface were investigated to assess the ecological effects after the operation of the MAR using the river water adjacent to the site. Along with a geochemical analysis, barcoded pyrosequencing was performed using the genomic DNAs extracted from the subsurface groundwater/sediment samples retrieved from three multilevel wells among the installed cluster of 14 boreholes. A total of 9 samples from 3 depths (10, 15–25, and 33 m below the ground surface) of each borehole showed higher bacterial abundance and diversity in the shallow (10 m) depths than in the deep (33 m) groundwater. In addition, there was a slight separation of the microbial communities between the depths based on the nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis of the Yue and Clayton distance and the distance-weighted UniFrac analysis. The phylum Proteobacteria was dominant in all the samples at the sequence abundance of 64.0–97.8% with the total operational taxonomic units of 3375 at the species level, while among the total 288 genera, the genus Pseudomonas and an unclassified genus from Betaproteobacteria were the most abundant across the samples. The community separation between the shallow and the deep groundwater seemed to be correlated with depth differences, supported by differences in the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). In the study site, unusually high values of electrical conductivity (EC) were found in the deep groundwater, but those values were unlikely to contribute to the community separation between the shallow and deep groundwater, unlike the DO and ORP values, which were found to influence the community differences.

Inactive supply wells as conduits for flow and contaminant migration: conditions of occurrence and suggestions for management

Water supply wells can act as conduits for vertical flow and contaminant migration between water-bearing strata under common hydrogeologic and well construction conditions. While recognized by some for decades, there is little published data on the magnitude of flows and extent of resulting water quality impacts. Consequently, the issue may not be acknowledged widely enough and the need for better management persists. This is especially true for unconsolidated alluvial groundwater basins that are hydrologically stressed by agricultural activities. Theoretical and practical considerations indicate that significant water volumes can migrate vertically through wells. The flow is often downward, with shallow groundwater, usually poorer in quality, migrating through conduit wells to degrade deeper water quality. Field data from locations in California, USA, are presented in combination with modeling results to illustrate both the prevalence of conditions conducive to intraborehole flow and the resulting impacts to water quality. Suggestions for management of planned wells include better enforcement of current regulations and more detailed consideration of hydrogeologic conditions during design and installation. A potentially greater management challenge is presented by the large number of existing wells. Monitoring for evidence of conduit flow and solute transport in areas of high well density is recommended to identify wells that pose greater risks to water quality. Conduit wells that are discovered may be addressed through approaches that include structural modification and changes in operations.

Potential Use of Alluvial Groundwater for Irrigation in Arid Zones - Mhamid Oasis (S Morocco)

Abstract In arid zones, the availability of fresh water is usually very limited because of high salinity, which greatly limits their use for irrigation purposes. High mineralization of water used for irrigation leads to increased soil salinity. The aim of the study was to examine the potential use of alluvial groundwater for irrigation in arid zones. The works were conducted in the Middle Draa Valley in southern Morocco (the Mhamid Oasis) in October 2015. Water samples of alluvial groundwater were collected for laboratory analysis from 42 wells located in the oasis. In order to determine the possibility to use the water for irrigation purposes, the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (%Na), permeability index (PI), Kelly’s ratio (KR), magnesium hazards (MH) and electrical conductivity (EC) were assessed. EC values, exceeding 3000 μS·cm-1 in all the samples, classify the water as unsuitable for irrigation. MH and the KR indexes show that 30% of water samples represent levels making them unsuitable for irrigation. SAR confirms the very high degree of susceptibility of the analyzed waters to salinity hazard. The PI index of these waters is moderate, however in terms of sodium content they can be deemed suitable for irrigation purposes. It has been found that even within a small area of the oasis, a very large differentiation in the alluvial groundwater suitability for irrigation purposes occurs.

Alluvial groundwater recharge estimation in semi-arid environment using remotely sensed data

Data limitations on groundwater (GW) recharge over large areas are still a challenge for efficient water resource management, especially in semi-arid regions. Thus, this study seeks to integrate hydrological cycle variables from satellite imagery to estimate the spatial distribution of GW recharge in the Ipanema river basin (IRB), which is located in the State of Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil. Remote sensing data, including monthly maps (2011–2012) of rainfall, runoff and evapotranspiration, are used as input for the water balance method within Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Rainfall data are derived from the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) Version 7 (3B43V7) product and present the same monthly average temporal distributions from 15 rain gauges that are distributed over the study area (r=0.93 and MAE=12.7mm), with annual average estimates of 894.3 (2011) and 300.7mm (2012). The runoff from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) method, which is based on regional soil information and Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor image, represents 29% of the TMPA rainfall that was observed across two years of study. Actual evapotranspiration data, which were provided by the SEBAL application of MODIS images, present annual averages of 1213 (2011) and 1067 (2012)mm. The water balance results reveal a large inter-annual difference in the IRB GW recharge, which is characterized by different rainfall regimes, with averages of 30.4 (2011) and 4.7 (2012)mmyear−1. These recharges were mainly observed between January and July in regions with alluvial sediments and highly permeable soils. The GW recharge approach with remote sensing is compared to the WTF (Water Table Fluctuation) method, which is used in an area of alluvium in the IRB. The estimates from these two methods exhibit reliable annual agreement, with average values of 154.6 (WTF) and 124.6 (water balance) mm in 2011. These values correspond to 14.89 and 13.53% of the rainfall that was recorded at the rain gauges and the TMPA, respectively. Only the WTF method indicates a very low recharge of 15.9mm for the second year. The values in this paper provide reliable insight regarding the use of remotely sensed data to evaluate the rates of alluvial GW recharge in regions where the potential runoff cannot be disregarded from WB equation and must be calculated spatially.

Concentrations and patterns of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in a river and three drinking water treatment plants near and far from a major production source.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are emerging contaminants that have been detected in the environment, biota and humans. Drinking water is a route of exposure for populations using water contaminated by PFAS discharges. This research entailed measuring concentrations, mass flows and investigating the fate of dozens PFASs in a river receiving effluents from a fluorochemical manufacturing facility. To measure the total concentration of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) precursors, an oxidative conversion method was used. Several dozen samples were collected in the river (water and sediment), in drinking water resources and at different treatment steps on four sampling dates. One PFCA and three fluorotelomers (FTs) were detected up to 62km downstream from the manufacturing facility. 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonamide alkylbetaine (6:2 FTAB) was the predominant PFAS with a mass flow of 3830g/day 5.2km downstream from the facility. At all sampling points, PFAS concentrations in sediment were quite low (<6ng/g dw). Five of the 11 investigated wells showed detectable concentrations of PFASs. Interestingly, their profile patterns were different from those observed in the river, suggesting a transformation of PFCA precursors in the sediments of alluvial groundwater. Conventional drinking water treatments (aeration, sand or granular activated carbon filtration, ozonation or chlorination) did not efficiently remove PFASs. Furthermore, an increase in concentration of certain PFASs was observed after ozonation, suggesting that some FTs such as 6:2 FTAB can break down. Only nanofiltration was able to remove all the analyzed PFASs. In the treated water, total PFAS concentrations never exceeded 60ng/L. The oxidative conversion method revealed the presence of unidentified PFCA precursors in the river. Therefore, 18 to 77% of the total PFCA content after oxidation consisted of unidentified chemical species. In the treated water, these percentages ranged from 0 to 29%, relatively and reassuringly low values.

Analysis of managed aquifer recharge for retiming streamflow in an alluvial river

Maintenance of low flows during dry periods is critical for supporting ecosystem function in many rivers. Managed aquifer recharge is one method that can be used to augment low flows in rivers that are hydraulically connected to an alluvial groundwater system. In this study, we performed numerical modeling to evaluate a managed recharge operation designed to retime streamflow in the South Platte River, northeastern Colorado (USA). Modeling involved the simulation of spatially and temporally variable groundwater-surface water exchange, as well as streamflow routing in the river. Periodic solutions that incorporate seasonality were developed for two scenarios, a natural base case scenario and an active management scenario that included groundwater pumping and managed recharge. A framework was developed to compare the scenarios by analyzing changes in head-dependent inflows and outflows to/from the aquifer, which was used to interpret the simulated impacts on streamflow. The results clearly illustrate a retiming of streamflow. Groundwater pumping near the river during winter months causes a reduction in streamflow during those months. Delivery of the pumped water to recharge ponds, located further from the river, has the intended effect of augmenting streamflow during low-flow summer months. Higher streamflow is not limited to the target time period, however, which highlights an inefficiency of flow augmentation projects that rely on water retention in the subsurface.

Effects of Flow Regime on Metal Concentrations and the Attainment of Water Quality Standards in a Remediated Stream Reach, Butte, Montana.

Low-flow synoptic sampling campaigns are often used as the primary tool to characterize watersheds affected by mining. Although such campaigns are an invaluable part of site characterization, investigations which focus solely on low-flow conditions may yield misleading results. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate this point and elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the release of metals during rainfall runoff. This objective is addressed using data from diel and synoptic sampling campaigns conducted over a two-day period. Low-flow synoptic sampling results indicate that concentrations of most constituents meet aquatic standards. This finding is in contrast to findings from a diel sampling campaign that captured dramatic increases in concentrations during rainfall runoff. Concentrations during the rising limb of the hydrograph were 2-23 times concentrations observed during synoptic sampling (most increases were >10-fold), remaining elevated during the receding limb of the hydrograph to produce a clockwise hysteresis loop. Hydrologic mechanisms responsible for the release of metals include increased transport due to resuspension of streambed solids, erosion of alluvial tailings, and overland flow. Rainfall also elevated the alluvial groundwater table and increased infiltration through the vadose zone, likely resulting in dissolution from alluvial tailings that were dry prior to the event.

Biostimulation and microbial community profiling reveal insights on RDX transformation in groundwater.

Hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine (RDX) is a high explosive released to the environment as a result of weapons manufacturing and testing worldwide. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Technical Area (TA) 16 260 Outfall discharged high‐explosives‐bearing water from a high‐explosives‐machining facility to Cañon de Valle during 1951 through 1996. These discharges served as a primary source of high‐explosives and inorganic‐element contamination in the area. Data indicate that springs, surface water, alluvial groundwater, and perched‐intermediate groundwater contain explosive compounds, including RDX (hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine); HMX (octahydro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine); and TNT (2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene). RDX has been detected in the regional aquifer in several wells, and a corrective measures evaluation is planned to identify remedial alternatives to protect the regional aquifer. Perched‐intermediate groundwater at Technical Area 16 is present at depths from 650 ft to 1200 ft bgs. In this study, we examined the microbial diversity in a monitoring well completed in perched‐intermediate groundwater contaminated by RDX, and examined the response of the microbial population to biostimulation under varying geochemical conditions. Results show that the groundwater microbiome was dominated by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. A total of 1,605 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in 96 bacterial genera were identified. Rhodococcus was the most abundant genus (30.6%) and a total of 46 OTUs were annotated as Rhodococcus. One OTU comprising 25.2% of total sequences was closely related to a RDX ‐degrading strain R. erythropolis HS4. A less abundant OTU from the Pseudomonas family closely related to RDX‐degrading strain P. putida II‐B was also present. Biostimulation significantly enriched Proteobacteria but decreased/eliminated the population of Actinobacteria. Consistent with RDX degradation, the OTU closely related to the RDX‐degrading P. putida strain II‐B was specifically enriched in the RDX‐degrading samples. Analysis of the accumulation of RDX‐degradation products reveals that during active RDX degradation, there is a transient increase in the concentration of the degradation products MNX, DNX, TNX, and NDAB. The accumulation of these degradation products suggests that RDX is degraded via sequential reduction of the nitro functional groups followed by abiotic ring‐cleavage. The results suggest that strict anaerobic conditions are needed to stimulate RDX degradation under the TA‐16 site‐specific conditions.

Water use in a riparian cottonwood ecosystem: Eddy covariance measurements and scaling along a river corridor

The survival of riparian forests depends on water input from their adjacent rivers. There are multiple, additional demands on river water that threatens to reduce the water supply, prompting the question, how much water must be left flowing within a river to sustain the native riparian ecosystems? To address this, we made eddy covariance measurements of riparian cottonwood forest evapotranspiration (ET) in a representative site and used remote sensing and the Penman-Monteith equation to up-scale ET along the 171km river corridor from the Oldman River Dam to Lethbridge, Alberta. Our study was conducted in two growing seasons with contrasting weather conditions, including one with over-bank flooding (2014). Measured cumulative forest ET from May-September (2014: 451±90mm; 2015: 411±18mm) was very similar in the two years despite contrasting May-September cumulative precipitation input (2014: 362mm; 2015: 181mm). Integrated over the 56km2 area of riparian forest along the Oldman River corridor, the cumulative forest ET during May-September was 19.1 million m3 (339mm/season), about 0.9% of the average cumulative Oldman River discharge during 2008–2013. Cottonwood forest ET during May-June was less than 1% of average river flow rates during 2008–2013, but the ratio of ET to average river flow rate increased markedly to peak values of 4–5% in late July and early August. Our analysis indicated that the water-use rates of riparian cottonwood forests were high, even for a broad-leaf deciduous forest functional type, particularly given the modest leaf area index (1.4m2m−2) we measured for riparian forests along the Oldman River corridor. The high ET rates were possible because of tree access to alluvial groundwater to support transpiration. Our ET measurements and calculations provided perspective on riparian forest water use in relation to precipitation inputs and total river discharge, knowledge that is important for successfully managing the multiple demands on river water use.

Using 3D geological modelling and geochemical mixing models to characterise alluvial aquifer recharge sources in the upper Condamine River catchment, Queensland, Australia

The influence of mountain front recharge on the water balance of alluvial valley aquifers located in upland catchments of the Condamine River basin in Queensland, Australia, is investigated through the development of an integrated hydrogeological framework. A combination of three-dimensional (3D) geological modelling, hydraulic gradient maps, multivariate statistical analyses and hydrochemical mixing calculations is proposed for the identification of hydrochemical end-members and quantification of the relative contributions of each end-member to alluvial aquifer recharge.The recognised end-members correspond to diffuse recharge and lateral groundwater inflows from three hydrostratigraphic units directly connected to the alluvial aquifer. This approach allows mapping zones of potential inter-aquifer connectivity and areas of groundwater mixing between underlying units and the alluvium. Mixing calculations using samples collected under baseflow conditions reveal that lateral contribution from a regional volcanic aquifer system represents the majority (41%) of inflows to the alluvial aquifer. Diffuse recharge contribution (35%) and inflow from two sedimentary bedrock hydrostratigraphic units (collectively 24%) comprise the remainder of major recharge sources.A detailed geochemical assessment of alluvial groundwater evolution along a selected flowpath of a representative subcatchment of the Condamine River basin confirms mixing as a key process responsible for observed spatial variations in hydrochemistry. Dissolution of basalt-related minerals and dolomite, CO2 uptake, ion-exchange, precipitation of clay minerals, and evapotranspiration further contribute to the hydrochemical evolution of groundwater in the upland alluvial aquifer.This study highlights the benefits of undertaking an integrated approach that combines multiple independent lines of evidence. The proposed methods can be applied to investigate processes associated with inter-aquifer mixing, including groundwater contamination resulting from depressurisation of underlying geological units hydraulically connected to the shallower water reservoirs.

Groundwater Contamination by Uranium and Mercury at the Ridaura Aquifer (Girona, NE Spain).

Elevated concentrations of uranium and mercury have been detected in drinking water from public supply and agricultural wells in alluvial and granitic aquifers of the Ridaura basin located at Catalan Coastal Ranges (CCR). The samples showed high concentrations of U above the U.S. standards and the World Health Organization regulations which set a maximum value of 30 µg/L. Further, high mercury concentrations above the European Drinking Water Standards (1 μg/L) were found. Spatial distribution of U in groundwater and geochemical evolution of groundwater suggest that U levels appear to be highest in granitic areas where groundwater has long residence times and a significant salinity. The presence of high U concentrations in alluvial groundwater samples could be associated with hydraulic connection through fractures between the alluvial system and deep granite system. According to this model, oxidizing groundwater moving through fractures in the leucocratic/biotitic granite containing anomalous U contents are the most likely to acquire high levels of U. The distribution of Hg showed concentrations above 1 μg/L in 10 alluvial samples, mainly located near the limit of alluvial aquifer with igneous rocks, which suggests a possible migration of Hg from granitic materials. Also, some samples showed Hg concentrations comprised between 0.9 and 1.5 μg/L, from wells located in agricultural areas.

Heterogeneity influences on stream water–groundwater interactions in a gravel-dominated floodplain

ABSTRACTFloodplains are composed of complex depositional patterns of ancient and recent stream sediments, and research is needed to address the manner in which coarse floodplain materials affect stream–groundwater exchange patterns. Efforts to understand the heterogeneity of aquifers have utilized numerous techniques typically focused on point-scale measurements; however, in highly heterogeneous settings, the ability to model heterogeneity is dependent on the data density and spatial distribution. The objective of this research was to investigate the correlation between broad-scale methodologies for detecting heterogeneity and the observed spatial variability in stream/groundwater interactions of gravel-dominated alluvial floodplains. More specifically, this study examined the correlation between electrical resistivity (ER) and alluvial groundwater patterns during a flood event at a site on Barren Fork Creek, in the Ozark ecoregion of Oklahoma, USA, where chert gravels were common both as streambed and as floodplain material. Water table elevations from groundwater monitoring wells for a flood event on 1–5 May 2009 were compared to ER maps at various elevations. Areas with high ER matched areas with lower water table slope at the same elevation. This research demonstrated that ER approaches were capable of indicating heterogeneity in surface water–groundwater interactions, and that these heterogeneities were present even in an aquifer matrix characterized as highly conductive. Portions of gravel-dominated floodplain vadose zones characterized by high hydraulic conductivity features can result in heterogeneous flow patterns when the vadose zone of alluvial floodplains activates during storm events.EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR X. Chen

Contribution of alluvial groundwater to the outflow of mountainous catchments

AbstractAlluvial aquifers in mountainous regions cover typically a limited area. Their contribution to catchment storage and outflow is rarely isolated; alluvial groundwater discharge under gauging stations is generally assumed negligible; and hydrological models tend to lump alluvial storage with other units. The role of alluvial aquifers remains therefore unclear: can they contribute significantly to outflow when they cover a few percent of catchment area? Should they be considered a dynamic storage unit or merely a transmission zone? We address these issues based on the continuous monitoring of groundwater discharge, river discharge (one year), and aquifer storage (6 months) in the 6 km2 alluvial system of a 194 km2 catchment. River and groundwater outflow were measured jointly through “coupled gauging stations.” The contribution of alluvial groundwater to outflow was highest at the outlet of a subcatchment (52 km2), where subsurface discharge amounted to 15% of mean annual outflow, and 85% of outflow during the last week of a drought. In this period, alluvial‐aquifer depletion supported 75% of the subcatchment outflow and 35% of catchment outflow—thus 3% of the entire catchment supported a third of the outflow. Storage fluctuations occurred predominantly in the aquifer's upstream part, where heads varied over 6 m. Not only does this section act as a significant water source, but storage recovers also rapidly at the onset of precipitation. Storage dynamics were best conceptualized along the valley axis, rather than across the more conventional riparian‐channel transect. Overall the contribution of alluvial aquifers to catchment outflow deserves more attention.

Diversity and phylogeny of south-east Queensland Bathynellacea

The crustacean order Bathynellacea is amongst the most diverse and widespread groups of subterranean aquatic fauna (stygofauna) in Australia. Interest in the diversity and biogeography of Australian Bathynellacea has grown markedly in recent years. However, relatively little information relating to this group has emerged from Queensland. The aim of this study was to investigate bathynellacean diversity and phylogeny in south-east Queensland. Relationships between the south-east Queensland fauna and their continental relatives were evaluated through the analysis of combined mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Bathynellaceans were collected from alluvial groundwater systems in three catchments in south-east Queensland. This study revealed a diverse bathynellacean fauna with complex evolutionary relationships to related fauna elsewhere in Queensland, and on the wider Australian continent. The multifamily assemblage revealed here is likely to represent several new species, and at least one new genus within the Parabathynellidae. These taxa likely have relatively restricted geographic distributions. Interestingly, the south-east Queensland Bathynellacea appeared to be distantly related to their north-east Queensland counterparts. Although it was not possible to determine the generic identities of their closest relatives, the south-east Queensland Parabathynellidae appear to be most closely affiliated with southern and eastern Australian lineages. Together with previous survey data, the findings here suggest that there is likely to be considerable bathynellacean diversity in alluvial groundwater systems across the wider Queensland region. Further assessment of stygofauna distributions in south-east Queensland is necessary to understand the biological implications of significant groundwater use and development in the region.