14 research outputs found
Exchange between a river and groundwater, assessed with hydrochemical data
We describe the chemical composition of groundwater from an alluvial granular aquifer in a valley fill flood plain (River Thur Valley). The river flows along this valley and is mostly downwelling on its way, indirectly through an unsaturated zone in the upstream part, and directly through the water-saturated bed in the downstream part. River Thur has been channelized with barriers for more than a century. In 1992, the authorities started to restore a section of River Thur with riverbed enlargements. The land use in the flood plain and the seasonal and climatic conditions (e.g., hot dry summer 2003) result in alterations of the natural geochemical composition of the river water. This groundwater is partly to mainly recharged by bank filtration. Several wells exist near the river that draw groundwater for drinking. In some of these wells, the groundwater has a very short residence time in the subsurface of days to weeks. Bed enlargements and other operations for an enhancement of the exchange of water between the river and groundwater increase the contamination risk of the nearby wells. During bank filtration, the groundwater changes gradually its composition, with increasing distance from the river and with depth in the aquifer. From today's changes of the water quality during riverbank filtration, we tried to extrapolate to the groundwater quality that may arise from future river restorations. Today the groundwater body consists of a mixture of groundwater from the seepage of precipitation and from riverbank filtration. The main difference between river water and groundwater results from the microbial activity in riverbed and bank materials. This activity leads to a consumption of O<sub>2</sub> and to a higher partial pressure of CO<sub>2</sub> in the groundwater. Criteria for the distinction of different groundwater compositions are the distance of a well from the river and the subsurface residence time of the groundwater to reach this well
Transport von anorganischen und organischen Substanzen durch die wasser-ungesaettigte Zone unter Einwirkung unterschiedlicher Modell-Niederschlagswaesser
With 41 figs., 20 tabs.SIGLEAvailable from Kiel Univ. (DE). Geologisch-Palaeontologisches Inst. und Museum / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman
Modelling the chemical evolution of porewater in the Palfris Marl, Wellenberg, central Switzerland
The chemical evolution of groundwater in the Palfris marl at Wellenberg has been simulated using a reactive transport model. The results were tested against the chemical and stable carbon isotopic composition of water samples from exploratory boreholes. Water chemistry is constrained by mineral and cation exchange equilibria. To reproduce measured CO2(tot) and delta(13)C values requires H+ ion exchange. Matching measured ratios between Cl- and other dissolved constituents constrains the relative amounts of reacting water and rock to porosities between 1 and 10%. NaHCO3 waters sampled from the Palfris are formed by replacement of the initial Na-Cl water by one to five pore volumes of infiltrating Ca-HCO3 recharge water. To entirely exhaust the exchange capacity of the formation so that Ca-HCO3 water persists requires several hundred to several thousand pore volumes of flow. The agreement between model results and measured water chemistry demonstrates a quantitative understanding of the geochemical processes controlling the chemistry of water naturally present in the Palfris mad. These processes will also determine the behaviour of material that might emanate from a repository. In addition, the modelling provides water flow information of use in testing groundwater flow models