Infiltration Of River Water Research Articles

Use of anthropogenic gadolinium as a tracer for bank filtrate in drinking water wells

Knowledge of the amount of bank filtrate in raw water is crucial for drinking water suppliers using water wells in close proximity to rivers, in particular if those rivers are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities, e.g. receiving effluents from waste water treatment plants. Analysis of organic micropollutants as tracer compounds is costly and time-consuming, and results may be biased by processes such as sorption, degradation or even by other input pathways such as land use activities. In this study, the use of gadolinium (Gd) as an alternative conservative tracer to indicate the amount of bank filtrate in raw water from drinking water wells close to rivers was investigated. In two case studies in Germany and Luxembourg, river water and water from drinking water wells at several distances from the rivers was sampled and analysed for anthropogenic Gd as well as for some of the organic trace pollutants conventionally used as tracer compounds. The amount of bank filtrate as calculated from Gd was compared with the estimates derived by conventional tracers and by hydrological flux modelling. The results indicated that the measurement of Gd may provide a promising alternative to monitor infiltration of river water in ground water used for production of drinking water.

Estrogen receptor mediated activity in bankside groundwater, with flood suspended particulate matter and floodplain soil – An approach combining tracer substance, bioassay and target analysis

Bankside groundwater is widely used as drinking water resource and, therefore, contamination has to be avoided. In the European Union groundwater protection is explicit subject to Water Framework Directive. While groundwater pollution may originate from different sources, this study investigated on impacts via flood events. Groundwater was sampled with increasing distance to the river Rhine near Karlsruhe, Germany. Samples were HPLC–MS–MS analyzed for the river contaminant carbamazepine to indicate river water infiltration, giving permanent presence in 250 m distance to the river (14–47 μg L −1). Following a flood event, concentrations of about 16–20 μg L −1 could also be detected in a distance of 750 m to the river. Furthermore, estrogenic activity as determined with the Yeast Estrogen Screen assay was determined to increase up to a 17β-ethinylestradiol equivalent concentration (E-EQ) = 2.9 ng L −1 near the river, while activity was initially measured following the flood with up to E-EQ = 2.6 ng L −1 in 750 m distance. Detections were delayed with increasing distance to the river indicating river water expansion into the aquifer. Flood suspended matter and floodplain soil were fractionated and analyzed for estrogenic activity in parallel giving up to 1.4 ng g −1 and up to 0.7 ng g −1, respectively. Target analysis focusing on known estrogenic active substances only explained <1% of measured activities. Nevertheless, river water infiltration was shown deep into bankside groundwater, thus, impacting groundwater quality. Therefore, flood events have to be in the focus when aiming for groundwater and drinking water protection as well as for implementation of Water Framework Directive.

3D crosshole ERT for aquifer characterization and monitoring of infiltrating river water

The hydrogeological properties and responses of a productive aquifer in northeastern Switzerland are investigated. For this purpose, 3D crosshole electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is used to define the main lithological structures within the aquifer (through static inversion) and to monitor the water infiltration from an adjacent river. During precipitation events and subsequent river flooding, the river water resistivity increases. As a consequence, the electrical characteristics of the infiltrating water can be used as a natural tracer to delineate preferential flow paths and flow velocities. The focus is primarily on the experiment installation, data collection strategy, and the structural characterization of the site and a brief overview of the ERT monitoring results. The monitoring system comprises 18 boreholes each equipped with 10 electrodes straddling the entire thickness of the gravel aquifer. A multichannel resistivity system programmed to cycle through various four-point electrode configurations of the 180 electrodes in a rolling sequence allows for the measurement of approximately 15,500 apparent resistivity values every 7 h on a continuous basis. The 3D static ERT inversion of data acquired under stable hydrological conditions provides a base model for future time-lapse inversion studies and the means to investigate the resolving capability of our acquisition scheme. In particular, it enables definition of the main lithological structures within the aquifer. The final ERT static model delineates a relatively high-resistivity, low-porosity, intermediate-depth layer throughout the investigated aquifer volume that is consistent with results from well logging and seismic and radar tomography models. The next step will be to define and implement an appropriate time-lapse ERT inversion scheme using the river water as a natural tracer. The main challenge will be to separate the superposed time-varying effects of water table height, temperature, and salinity variations associated with the infiltrating water.

Propagation of Seasonal Temperature Signals into an Aquifer upon Bank Infiltration

Infiltrating river water carries the temperature signal of the river into the adjacent aquifer. While the diurnal temperature fluctuations are strongly dampened, the seasonal fluctuations are much less attenuated and can be followed into the aquifer over longer distances. In one-dimensional model with uniform properties, this signal is propagated with a retarded velocity, and its amplitude decreases exponentially with distance. Therefore, time shifts in seasonal temperature signals between rivers and groundwater observation points may be used to estimate infiltration rates and near-river groundwater velocities. As demonstrated in this study, however, the interpretation is nonunique under realistic conditions. We analyze a synthetic test case of a two-dimensional cross section perpendicular to a losing stream, accounting for multi-dimensional flow due to a partially penetrating channel, convective-conductive heat transport within the aquifer, and heat exchange with the underlying aquitard and the land surface. We compare different conceptual simplifications of the domain in order to elaborate on the importance of different system elements. We find that temperature propagation within the shallow aquifer can be highly influenced by conduction through the unsaturated zone and into the underlying aquitard. In contrast, regional groundwater recharge has no major effect on the simulated results. In our setup, multi-dimensionality of the flow field is important only close to the river. We conclude that over-simplistic analytical models can introduce substantial errors if vertical heat exchange at the aquifer boundaries is not accounted for. This has to be considered when using seasonal temperature fluctuations as a natural tracer for bank infiltration.

Perfluorinated Compounds in Infiltrated River Rhine Water and Infiltrated Rainwater in Coastal Dunes

Different studies have shown that surface waters contain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the low ng/L range. Surface waters are used to produce drinking water and PFCs have been shown to travel through the purification system and form a potential threat to human health. The specific physicochemical properties of PFCs cause them to be persistent and some of them to be bioaccumulative and toxic in the environment. This study investigates the evolvement of PFC concentrations in Rhine water and rainwater during dune water infiltration processes over a transect in the dune area of the western part of The Netherlands. The difference between infiltrated river water and rainwater in terms of PFC composition was investigated. Furthermore, isomer profiles were investigated. The compound perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) was found at the highest concentrations of all PFCs investigated, up to 37 ng/L in infiltrated river water (71 ± 13% of ΣPFCs). This is in contrast with the predominant occurrence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) reported in literature. The concentrations of PFBS found in infiltrated river Rhine water were significantly higher than those in infiltrated rainwater. For perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) the opposite was found: infiltrated rainwater contained more than infiltrated river water. The concentrations of PFOA, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), PFBS, PFOS, and PFHxS in infiltrated river water showed an increasing trend with decreasing age of the water. The relative contribution of the branched PFOA and PFOS isomers to total concentrations of PFOA and PFOS showed a decreasing trend with decreasing age of the water.

Fluctuations of electrical conductivity as a natural tracer for bank filtration in a losing stream

A key parameter used in the assessment of bank filtration is the travel time of the infiltrated river water during the passage through groundwater. We analyze time series of electrical conductivity (EC) in the river and adjacent groundwater observation wells to investigate travel times of young hyporheic groundwater in adjoining channelized and restored sections of River Thur in North-East Switzerland. To quantify mixing ratios and mean residence times we perform cross-correlation analysis and non-parametric deconvolution of the EC time series. Measurements of radon-222 in the groundwater samples validate the calculated residence times. A simple relationship between travel time and distance to the river has not been observed. Therefore, we speculate that the lateral position and depth of the thalweg as well as the type of bank stabilization might control the infiltration processes in losing rivers. Diurnal oscillations of EC observed in the river and in nearby observation wells facilitate analyzing the temporal variation of infiltration. The diurnal oscillations are particularly pronounced in low flow situations, while the overall EC signal is dominated by individual high-flow events. Differences in travel times derived from diurnal and overall EC signals thus reflect different infiltration regimes.

Hydrophilic anthropogenic markers for quantification of wastewater contamination in ground‐and surface WATERS

Hydrophilic, persistent markers are useful to detect, locate, and quantify contamination of natural waters with domestic wastewater. The present study focused on occurrence and fate of seven marker candidates including carbamazepine (CBZ), 10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxycarbamazepine (DiOH-CBZ), primidone (PMD), crotamiton (CTMT), N-acetyl-4-aminoantipyrine (AAA), N-formyl-4-aminoantipyrine (FAA), and benzotriazole (BTri) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), lakes, and groundwater. In WWTPs, concentrations from 0.14 microg/L to several micrograms per liter were observed for all substances, except CTMT, which was detected at lower concentrations. Loads determined in untreated and treated wastewater indicated that removal of the potential markers in WWTPs is negligible; only BTri was partly eliminated (average 33%). In lakes, five compounds, CBZ, DiOH-CBZ, FAA, AAA, and BTri, were consistently detected in concentrations of 2 to 70 ng/L, 3 to 150 ng/L, less than the limit of quantification to 30 ng/L, 2 to 80 ng/L, and 11 to 920 ng/L, respectively. Mean per capita loads in the outflows of the lakes suggested possible dissipation in surface waters, especially of AAA and FAA. Nevertheless, concentrations of CBZ, DiOH-CBZ, and BTri correlated with the actual anthropogenic burden of the lakes by domestic wastewater, indicating that these compounds are suitable for quantification of wastewater contamination in lakes. Marker candidates were also detected in a number of groundwater samples. Carbamazepine concentrations up to 42 ng/L were observed in aquifers with significant infiltration of river water, receiving considerable wastewater discharges from WWTPs. Concentration ratios between compounds indicated some elimination of BTri and DiOH-CBZ during subsurface passage or in groundwater, while CBZ and PMD appeared to be more stable and thus are promising wastewater markers for groundwater. The wastewater burden in groundwater, estimated with the markers CBZ and PMD, reached up to 6%.

Ubiquitous Occurrence of the Artificial Sweetener Acesulfame in the Aquatic Environment: An Ideal Chemical Marker of Domestic Wastewater in Groundwater

Artificial low-calorie sweeteners are consumed in considerable quantities with food and beverages. After ingestion, some sweeteners pass through the human metabolism largely unaffected, are quantitatively excreted via urine and feces, and thus reach the environment associated with domestic wastewater. Here, we document the widespread occurrence of four sweeteners in the aquatic environment and show that one of these compounds, acesulfame, meets all of the criteria of an ideal marker for the detection of domestic wastewater in natural waters, particularly groundwater. Acesulfame was consistently detected in untreated and treated wastewater (12-46 microg/L), in most surface waters, in 65% of the investigated groundwater samples, and even in several tap water samples (up to 2.6 microg/L) from Switzerland. The sweetener was not eliminated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and was quite persistent in surface waters, where concentrations increased with population in the catchment area and decreased with water throughflow. The highest concentrations in groundwater, up to 4.7 microg/L, were observed in areas with significant infiltration of river water, where the infiltrating water received considerable discharges from WWTPs. Given the currently achieved detection limit of approximately 0.01 microg/L, it is possible to trace the presence of > or = 0.05% wastewater in groundwater.

Investigating groundwater–river interactions using environmental tracers

Groundwater and surface water are hydraulically connected in many landscapes, and a better understanding of their connectivity is critical for effective management of water resources. Environmental tracers are a useful preliminary tool to study the interaction between groundwater and surface water and provide independent means for corroborating or refuting information based on more traditional investigations. This paper discusses the results of using major ions, stable isotopes (deuterium and oxygen-18) and a radioactive isotope (radon-222) as environmental tracers to better understand groundwater–surface water interactions in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia. In the upstream reaches of the catchment, shallow groundwater close to the river has a similar major-ion and stable-isotope chemistry to that of the river water, and is different to the groundwater distant from the river. The near-stream groundwater has an enriched isotopic signature (less negative) whereas groundwater far from the river has a depleted isotopic signature. Overall, the comparison of chloride concentrations with deuterium suggests that three types of groundwater occur in the Border Rivers catchment: (i) the near-stream groundwaters influenced by direct recharge from the river; (ii) the groundwaters marginal to the river that are more influenced by diffuse rainfall recharge; and (iii) saline groundwaters in the downstream part of the catchment which never (or rarely) receive recharge from surface water. River water samples obtained during the high-flow season show a very low variation in radon concentrations (0.11–0.39 Bq/L). The longitudinal transect of radon concentration measurements in river water during the high-flow season indicates that there is no groundwater contribution to stream flow. Radon concentrations are lower in groundwater close to the rivers and increase with distance from the river, in general coincidence with the salinity and chloride concentration. This indicates river water infiltration into nearby alluvial aquifers, rather than groundwater discharge to the river. The results of hydrochemical and environmental isotope sampling indicate that in the upper catchment area (upstream of Keetah) the river is connected to and actively recharges the near-stream shallow alluvial aquifer. Using the environmental isotope data, we have also demonstrated that recharge of the alluvial aquifers by surface water occurs by bank infiltration, with diffuse recharge during high-rainfall events more dominant further away from the river. This information would be useful for a better understanding of the nature and extent of hydrogeological processes at the river–aquifer interface and their links with biogeochemical processes and ultimately water allocation policies.

The impact of climate change on drinking water supply by riverbank filtration

Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a well proven natural treatment, which in many countries is part of a multi-barrier concept in drinking water supply. The induced infiltration of river water into the aquifer produces a significant improvement in river water quality. Riverbank filtration wells are characterized by a high capacity. Based on data from recent years, an integrated approach to assessing the impact of climate change on safe drinking water production by RBF is demonstrated in the Lower Rhine Valley, Germany. Influencing factors on quantitative as well as qualitative aspects were identified. During low river water periods, the capacity of the RBF-wells decreases. In addition the lower discharge within the river is accompanied by a increased concentration of several chemical compounds. Together with higher water temperatures which influence the hydrogeochemical processes during RBF, the changing raw water composition has to be considered for the subsequent technical treatment step. However, our investigations reveal that despite the impact of climate change on RBF, the multi-protective barrier concept, including both natural and technical purification, has proven a reliable method for drinking water production. The sanitation of the Rhine over the last decades was an important step to make RBF more resilient to climate change.

Identification of processes affecting excess air formation during natural bank filtration and managed aquifer recharge

Summary Managed aquifer recharge is gaining importance as a practice to bank and treat surface water for drinking water production. Neon (Ne) concentrations were analysed at four different recharge sites in and near Berlin, where groundwater is recharged directly from surface water courses, either by near-natural bank filtration, induced bank filtration or engineered basin recharge. Neon concentrations in excess of saturation (ΔNe) were used to identify excess air in the infiltrates. Excess air concentrations were around saturation at the near-natural bank filtration site, where river water infiltrates through a permeable river bed into a confined aquifer under completely saturated conditions. At two induced unconfined bank filtration sites, samples generally contained excess air (up to 60% ΔNe). Highest excess air concentrations (up to 81% ΔNe) were encountered at the engineered basin recharge site. The degree of water table fluctuations, the water saturation of the sediments in the infiltration zone and the presence of a confining layer affect the formation of excess air. Excess air can only be used to trace bank filtrate or artificially recharged water in a setting where the ambient groundwater in the near vicinity of production wells is not affected by large water-table fluctuations. Nevertheless, excess air concentrations provide valuable additional information on the type of recharge (saturated or unsaturated, degree of water table fluctuations).

Organic Matter and Modeling Redox Reactions during River Bank Filtration in an Alluvial Aquifer of the Lot River, France

A 3 year study of the infiltration of Lot River water into a well field located in an adjacent gravel and clay alluvial aquifer was conducted to assess the importance of organic matter regarding the redox processes which influence groundwater quality in a positive (denitrification) or negative (Mn dissolution) manner. Chloride was used to quantify the mixing of river water with groundwater. According to modeling with PHREEQC, the biodegradation of the infiltrated dissolved organic carbon (DOCi) is not sufficient to explain the observed consequences of the redox reactions (dissolved O2 depletion, denitrification, Mn dissolution). Another electron donor source must therefore be involved: we propose solid organic carbon (SOC) as a likely candidate, if made available for degradation by prior hydrolysis. Its contribution to redox reactions could be significant (30-80% of the total organic carbon consumed by redox reactions during river bank filtration). We show here also that even though the first few meters of infiltration are highly reactive, significant redox reactions can take place further in the aquifer, possibly affecting groundwater quality away from the river bank.

Natural water purification and water management by artificial groundwater recharge.

Worldwide, several regions suffer from water scarcity and contamination. The infiltration and subsurface storage of rain and river water can reduce water stress. Artificial groundwater recharge, possibly combined with bank filtration, plant purification and/or the use of subsurface dams and artificial aquifers, is especially advantageous in areas where layers of gravel and sand exist below the earth's surface. Artificial infiltration of surface water into the uppermost aquifer has qualitative and quantitative advantages. The contamination of infiltrated river water will be reduced by natural attenuation. Clay minerals, iron hydroxide and humic matter as well as microorganisms located in the subsurface have high decontamination capacities. By this, a final water treatment, if necessary, becomes much easier and cheaper. The quantitative effect concerns the seasonally changing river discharge that influences the possibility of water extraction for drinking water purposes. Such changes can be equalised by seasonally adapted infiltration/extraction of water in/out of the aquifer according to the river discharge and the water need. This method enables a continuous water supply over the whole year. Generally, artificially recharged groundwater is better protected against pollution than surface water, and the delimitation of water protection zones makes it even more save.

Field evidence of a dynamic leakage coefficient for modelling river–aquifer interactions

Summary In groundwater flow modelling, the interaction between rivers and aquifers is usually modelled with spatially and temporally constant leakage coefficients. We used conventional model calibration techniques to investigate the time-varying river–aquifer interactions in the sandy gravel aquifer of the upper Limmat valley in Zurich (Switzerland). The aim of the study was to determine whether the leakage coefficients have to be treated as time-dependent in order to adequately model the dynamics of the groundwater flow. A transient horizontal two-dimensional groundwater flow model was established together with a one-dimensional hydraulic model for river flow, as well as a scheme calculating groundwater recharge and lateral inflow from meteorological data and a soil water balance model. The groundwater flow model was calibrated using hydraulic head data from May and June 2004 and July and August 2005. The verification period covered 13 years using hydraulic head data from 90 piezometers. The comparison of the model results with the measurements in the verification period revealed three phenomena concerning river–aquifer interaction which all showed up as systematic deviations between model and observations. (1) The major flood event in May 1999 had a significant and persistent influence on the river–aquifer interaction. In an impounded river section upstream of a weir, the infiltration of river water was enhanced by the flooding probably due to erosion processes. (2) Seasonal river water temperature fluctuations influenced the infiltration rate, due to the temperature dependence of hydraulic conductivity of the river bed. (3) Depending on geometry and hydraulic characteristics of the riverbanks the leakage coefficient can be a function of the river stage. With higher water levels, additional areas can contribute to the infiltration of river water. Therefore, in modelling groundwater flow with strong river–aquifer interactions, it can become necessary to consider dynamic leakage coefficients and to recalibrate periodically.

Sources and transport of selected organic micropollutants in urban groundwater underlying the city of Halle (Saale), Germany

In this study, we used isotopic ( δ 18O, δ 2H, δ 34S-SO 4) and chemical tracers (boron) to assess the sources and transport processes of the micropollutants carbamazepine, galaxolide, and bisphenol A in groundwater underlying the city of Halle (Saale), Germany. Their ubiquitous presence in urban groundwater results from a combination of local river water infiltration, sewer exfiltration, and urban stormwater recharge. Attenuation during transport with infiltrating river water increased from carbamazepine (0–60%) to galaxolide (60–80%) in accordance with their increasing sorption affinity and decreasing recalcitrance against biodegradation. Distinctly higher attenuation during transport was found for carbamazepine (85–100%) and galaxolide (95–100%) if micropollutants originated from sewer exfiltration. Most likely, this is related to higher contents of organic matter and higher transit times of the respective flow paths. Although attenuation undoubtedly also affects the transport of bisphenol A, quantification is limited due to additional contributions from the urban stormwater recharge. As a consequence, micropollutant loads in groundwater indicate that groundwater discharge may dominate the export of bisphenol A from urban areas.

Effectiveness of riverbank filtration for removal of nitrogen from heavily polluted rivers: a case study of Kuihe River, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China

The Kuihe River is in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China. It contains high concentrations of nitrogen. The water in the Kuihe River recharges the groundwater via riverbank filtration (RBF) along the Xucun and Huangqiao reaches, which are characterized by unsaturated and saturated percolations, respectively. The two sections were selected to study the effectiveness of RBF to the nitrogen removal from the infiltrating river water. The results showed that the RBF in the saturated percolation had the potential to remove the nitrogen through biochemical processes. The nitrogen-removal rates were more than 95% over the monitoring period. However, the RBF in the unsaturated percolation resulted mainly from the physical process and thus had no efficacy for nitrogen removal.

Assessing residence times of hyporheic ground water in two alluvial flood plains of the Southern Alps using water temperature and tracers

Abstract. Water temperature can be used as a tracer for the interaction between river water and groundwater, interpreting time shifts in temperature signals as retarded travel times. The water temperature fluctuates on different time scales, the most pronounced of which are the seasonal and diurnal ones. While seasonal fluctuations can be found in any type of shallow groundwater, high-frequency components are more typical for freshly infiltrated river water, or hyporheic groundwater, and are thus better suited for evaluating the travel time of the youngest groundwater component in alluvial aquifer systems. We present temperature time series collected at two sites in the alpine floodplain aquifers of the Brenno river in Southern Switzerland. At the first site, we determine apparent travel times of temperature for both the seasonal and high-frequency components of the temperature signals in several wells. The seasonal signal appears to travel more slowly, indicating a mixture of older and younger groundwater components, which is confirmed by sulphate measurements. The travel times of the high-frequency component qualitatively agree with the groundwater age derived from radon concentrations, which exclusively reflects young water components. Directly after minor floods, the amplitude of temperature fluctuations in an observation well nearby the river is the highest. Within a week, the riverbed is being clogged, leading to stronger attenuation of the temperature fluctuations in the observation well. At the second site, very fast infiltration to depths of 1.9 m under the riverbed could be inferred from the time shift of the diurnal temperature signal.

Clogging microstructures in the vadose zone—laboratory and field studies

Long-term water infiltration into porous media, like clastic deposits, causes colmatage (clogging), which is expressed by the decrease of permeability. It is caused by progressive filling of pore spaces with fine particles carried in suspension (mechanical colmatage) and minerals precipitated from water (chemical colmatage or biochemical colmatage, when the process is affected by bacterial activity). Although this material is introduced into the sediment after deposition, it does not destroy the primary framework of it but it only coats grains and fills voids. This process results in some characteristic microstructures that are called ‘clogging microstructures’. The research included: (1) experiments on sands exposed to mechanical colmatage in laboratory conditions, which aimed to describe clogging microstructures and to examine the effects of grain size distribution on the rate and degree of clogging; (2) field and laboratory studies of deposits in which colmatage occurred in natural conditions in the infiltrating water intake ‘Debina’ in Poznan, Poland. The main goal of the research was to identify post-depositional changes that took place in fluvial deposits affected by forced river water infiltration in the Warta River valley. Examples are presented of clogging microstructures formed in deposits affected by colmatage in the laboratory and in natural conditions.

Interaction between shallow groundwater, saline surface water and contaminant discharge at a seasonally and tidally forced estuarine boundary

This paper presents findings from a 2-year field investigation of a dissolved hydrocarbon groundwater plume flowing towards a tidally and seasonally forced estuarine river system in Perth, Western Australia. Samples collected from transects of multiport wells along the riverbank and into the river, enabled mapping of the fine scale (0.5 m) vertical definition of the hydrocarbon plume and its longitudinal extent. Spear probing beneath the river sediments and water table, and transient monitoring of multiport wells (electrical conductivity) was also carried out to define the zone of mixing between river water and groundwater (the hyporheic zone) and its variability. The results showed that groundwater seepage into the estuarine surface sediments occurred in a zone less than 10 m from the high tide mark, and that this distance and the hyporheic transition zone were influenced by tidal fluctuations and infiltration of river water into the sediments. The dissolved BTEXN (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, the xylene isomers and naphthalene) distributions indicated the behaviour of the hydrocarbon plume at the groundwater/surface water transition zone to be strongly influenced by edge-focussed discharge. Monitoring programs and risk assessment studies at similar contaminated sites should therefore focus efforts within the intertidal zone where contaminants are likely to impact the surface water and shallow sediment environments.

Reductive dissolution of Mn oxides in river-recharged aquifers: a laboratory column study

River-recharged aquifers are developed for drinking water supplies in many parts of the world. Often, however, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) present in the infiltrating river water causes biogeochemical reactions to occur in the adjacent aquifer that create elevated Mn and Fe. Mn concentrations in groundwater from some of the production wells installed in the aquifer at Fredericton, New Brunswick exceed the Canadian Drinking Water Guideline of 9.1×10 −4 mmol/l by up to 5.5×10 −2 mmol/l. It has previously been hypothesized that the influx of DOC from the Saint John River is causing bacterially mediated reductive dissolution of Mn oxides in the aquifer system, leading to elevated aqueous Mn concentrations. Previous work was limited to the collection of water samples from production wells and several observation wells installed in the glacial outwash aquifer. The objective of this study was to investigate the biogeochemical controls on Mn concentrations using sand-filled columns. One column was inoculated with bacteria while a second column was treated with ethanol in order to decrease the microbial population initially present in the system. Both columns received the same influent solution that contained acetate as a source of DOC. The results of the experiments suggested that the two main controls on Mn concentrations in the columns were microbially mediated reductive dissolution of Mn oxides and cation exchange. The conceptual model that was developed based on the experimental data was supported by the results obtained using a one-dimensional reactive-transport model. The reductive dissolution of Mn oxides in the aquifer sands could be adequately simulated using dual-Monod kinetics. Similar trends are observed in the experimental data and field data collected from Production Well 5, located in the Fredericton Aquifer. From the experiments, it is evident that cation-exchange reactions may be an important geochemical control on Mn concentrations during the initial stages of pumping; however, the reductive dissolution of Mn oxides may represent a long-term source of Mn in the drinking water supply.