11 research outputs found
Effects of human-induced alteration of groundwater flow on concentrations of naturally-occurring trace elements at water-supply wells
AbstractThe effects of human-induced alteration of groundwater flow patterns on concentrations of naturally-occurring trace elements were examined in five hydrologically distinct aquifer systems in the USA. Although naturally occurring, these trace elements can exceed concentrations that are considered harmful to human health. The results show that pumping-induced hydraulic gradient changes and artificial connection of aquifers by well screens can mix chemically distinct groundwater. Chemical reactions between these mixed groundwaters and solid aquifer materials can result in the mobilization of trace elements such as U, As and Ra, with subsequent transport to water-supply wells. For example, in the High Plains aquifer near York, Nebraska, mixing of shallow, oxygenated, lower-pH water from an unconfined aquifer with deeper, confined, anoxic, higher-pH water is facilitated by wells screened across both aquifers. The resulting higher-O2, lower-pH mixed groundwater facilitated the mobilization of U from solid aquifer materials, and dissolved U concentrations were observed to increase significantly in nearby supply wells. Similar instances of trace element mobilization due to human-induced mixing of groundwaters were documented in: (1) the Floridan aquifer system near Tampa, Florida (As and U), (2) Paleozoic sedimentary aquifers in eastern Wisconsin (As), (3) the basin-fill aquifer underlying the California Central Valley near Modesto (U), and (4) Coastal Plain aquifers of New Jersey (Ra). Adverse water-quality impacts attributed to human activities are commonly assumed to be related solely to the release of the various anthropogenic contaminants to the environment. The results show that human activities including various land uses, well drilling, and pumping rates and volumes can adversely impact the quality of water in supply wells, when associated with naturally-occurring trace elements in aquifer materials. This occurs by causing subtle but significant changes in geochemistry and associated trace element mobilization as well as enhancing advective transport processes
Geohydrology and water quality in northern Portage County, Ohio, in relation to deep-well brine injection /
Three maps on 3 folded leaves in pocket.Shipping list no.: 91-396-P.Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-47).Mode of access: Internet
Ground-water levels, water quality, and potential effects of toxic-substance spills or cessation of quarry dewatering near a municipal ground-water supply, southern Franklin County, Ohio /
Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-95).Mode of access: Internet
Modeling Nitrate at Domestic and Public-Supply Well Depths in the Central Valley, California
Aquifer
vulnerability models were developed to map groundwater
nitrate concentration at domestic and public-supply well depths in
the Central Valley, California. We compared three modeling methods
for ability to predict nitrate concentration >4 mg/L: logistic
regression
(LR), random forest classification (RFC), and random forest regression
(RFR). All three models indicated processes of nitrogen fertilizer
input at the land surface, transmission through coarse-textured, well-drained
soils, and transport in the aquifer to the well screen. The total
percent correct predictions were similar among the three models (69–82%),
but RFR had greater sensitivity (84% for shallow wells and 51% for
deep wells). The results suggest that RFR can better identify areas
with high nitrate concentration but that LR and RFC may better describe
bulk conditions in the aquifer. A unique aspect of the modeling approach
was inclusion of outputs from previous, physically based hydrologic
and textural models as predictor variables, which were important to
the models. Vertical water fluxes in the aquifer and percent coarse
material above the well screen were ranked moderately high-to-high
in the RFR models, and the average vertical water flux during the
irrigation season was highly significant (<i>p</i> <
0.0001) in logistic regression
Women's Wages: Cohort Differences in Returns to Education and Training Over Time
This article examines the effects of education and work-related training on wage-growth trajectories for two cohorts of women as they aged from their early 20s and 30s into their early 30 s and 40 s. I test whether occupational training compensates for an earlier lack of education, thereby decreasing earnings inequality over time within cohorts. Because the broader economic context may influence the relationship between wages, education, and training, I test the assumption that the experiences of a given cohort may be generalized to others. Copyright (c) 2005 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.