Evaluation of the origin of nitrate influencing the Ključ groundwater source, Serbia

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada Miljević ◽  
Djulija Boreli-Zdravković ◽  
Vesna Obradović ◽  
Dušan Golobočanin ◽  
Bernhard Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Septic Systems ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Sandy Gravel ◽  
Dual Isotope ◽  
Soil Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Sampling Campaign ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
Groundwater Source ◽  
Observation Wells

This paper describes the use of the dual isotope method involving δ15N and δ18O measurements of dissolved nitrates to assess the origin and fate of groundwater nitrate at the Ključ groundwater source, Serbia. A sampling campaign was conducted in September 2007 during flow conditions obtaining groundwater from observation wells and river water fed by a shallow aquifer hosted in alluvial (sandy-gravel) sediments. Nitrate isotope ratios ranged from +5.3 to +16.9‰ and δ18ONO3 values varied from −2.3 to +5.0‰. Two major contamination sources were identified with isotopic compositions characteristic for nitrate derived from nitrification of soil organic nitrogen (+5.3 to +7.8‰ for δ15N) resulting in nitrate concentrations of 33.6 and 78.8 mg/L and nitrate derived from animal wastes or human sewage, e.g. via septic systems, yielding δ15N values of +9.9 to +11.9‰ and elevated nitrate concentrations of 31.2–245.8 mg/L. The occurrence of nitrification and denitrification was also revealed based on concentration and isotope data for dissolved nitrate.

Solonetzic soils of Canada: Genesis, distribution, and classification

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Miller ◽  
J. A. Brierley
Keyword(s):  
Capillary Rise ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Septic Systems ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Anisotropic Flow ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients ◽  
Total Salt Content ◽  
Pedogenic Processes ◽  
Capillary Movement ◽  
Zonal Soils

Miller, J. J. and Brierley, J. A. 2011. Solonetzic soils of Canada: Genesis, distribution, and classification. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 889–902. Soils of the Solonetzic order are defined as having a Solonetzic B horizon designated as a Bn or Bnt horizon. The Solonetzic Order includes four great groups: Solonetz, Solodized Solonetz, Solod, and Vertic Solonetz. Solonetzic soils are thought to develop via the stepwise pedogenic processes of salinization, solonization (desalinzation and alkalization), and solodization. Soluble salts are brought into the soil pedon of Solonetzic soils by capillary movement and evaporation from spring to fall, and upward water flow from the water table to the freezing zone in the winter deposits salts upon freezing. Solonization proceeds when desalinization lowers the total salt content and alkalization is initiated by high exchangeable Na. Solodization occurs when anisotropic flow conditions or a change in vertical hydraulic gradients prevent capillary rise and replenishment of soluble Na in the Bn horizon. Two common Solonetzic catenas are found in the prairies. In the first sequence, Gleyed Solonetz or Solonetz occur in the depressional areas of the landscape, and soils then grade through Solodized Solonetz, Solods, and in some cases, Chernozems or normal zonal soils at higher elevations. In the second sequence, Solods are found in the lowest topographic position, while Solodized Solonetz, Solonetz and Chernozems are found at progressively higher slope positions. Solonetzic soils have unique properties that adversely affect their use for agriculture and other land uses (e.g., construction, septic systems). Further interdisciplinary research is required to better understand the genesis of these soils at the “meter scale” or local landscape level because of the extreme spatial variability of these soils.

Nitrate pollution in groundwater in two selected areas from Cameroon and Chad in the Lake Chad basin

Water Policy ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 722-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Ngounou Ngatcha ◽  
Djoret Daira
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Lake Chad ◽  
Chad Basin ◽  
Lake Chad Basin ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
Primary Origin ◽  
High Concentrations

The shallow aquifer in the Lake Chad basin is highly vulnerable to pollution. Analysis carried out on 316 wells and boreholes have showed a tendency towards an increase of nitrate values, exceeding 50 mg l−1. Nitrate concentrations ranged between about 1 and 300 mg l−1. Large variation in concentration was observed in wells and boreholes that are only short distances apart. High concentrations of nitrate in wells, especially in a recharge area along the sand dunes, or via infiltration from river banks, irrigation channels, and infiltration of urban wastewater into groundwater from septic tanks, pose a serious problem for drinking water supply. In Cameroon and Chad, the results of the investigation indicate a variation of nitrate concentration in groundwater between the two areas. The primary origin of this pollution is agricultural proliferation activities that are developed and stressed by socio-economic needs outside the urban area, and by urban expansion within the area served by a decrepit network of urban area sewers. Substancial differences in values of nitrate concentrations were observed in groundwater from adjacent wells and boreholes, indicating local rather than regional contamination.

Theoretical analysis of aquifer response due to dewatering at Welland

1970 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. O. Frind
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Horizontal Plane ◽  
Linear Equations ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
System Of Linear Equations ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Observation Wells ◽  
And Storage

The investigation of the regional response of an aquifer due to depressurization at the Welland Canal construction site is discussed in this paper. The aquifer consists of the upper fractured zone of the bedrock, overlain by a poorly-permeable confining layer which permits recharge and discharge through leakage. The permeability in the aquifer varies throughout the area.As no exact solution exists, a mathematical model is developed. The model is two-dimensional in the horizontal plane and represents the non-homogeneous continuum of the aquifer by a finite number of nodes arranged in a grid. From the differential equation of flow, a system of linear equations is derived and solved by computer. Unsteady flow conditions are approximated by solving the system for discrete steps in time, from commencement of pumping up to equilibrium. Model parameters, consisting of the nodal values of transmissibility, leakance, and storage coefficient, are established by simulation of an actual period of pumping, for which the regional response is determined from readings at observation wells. After using one observed case, the model can be employed to solve any number of practical problems relating to the aquifer response within the area.

scholarly journals Antecedent flow conditions and nitrate concentrations in the Mississippi River basin

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 967-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Murphy ◽  
R. M. Hirsch ◽  
L. A. Sprague
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Mississippi River Basin ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Daily Streamflow ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
High Flows ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. The relationship between antecedent flow conditions and nitrate concentrations was explored at eight sites in the 2.9 million square kilometers (km2) Mississippi River basin, USA. Antecedent flow conditions were quantified as the ratio between the mean daily flow of the previous year and the mean daily flow from the period of record (Qratio), and the Qratio was statistically related to nitrate anomalies (the unexplained variability in nitrate concentration after filtering out season, long-term trend, and contemporaneous flow effects) at each site. Nitrate anomaly and Qratio were negatively related at three of the four major tributary sites and upstream in the Mississippi River, indicating that when mean daily streamflow during the previous year was lower than average, nitrate concentrations were higher than expected. The strength of these relationships increased when data were subdivided by contemporaneous flow conditions. Five of the eight sites had significant negative relationships (p ≤ 0.05) at high or moderately high contemporaneous flows, suggesting nitrate that accumulates in these basins during a drought is flushed during subsequent high flows. At half of the sites, when mean daily flow during the previous year was 50 percent lower than average, nitrate concentration can be from 9 to 27 percent higher than nitrate concentrations that follow a year with average mean daily flow. Conversely, nitrate concentration can be from 8 to 21 percent lower than expected when flow during the previous year was 50 percent higher than average. Previously documented for small, relatively homogenous basins, our results suggest that relationships between antecedent flows and nitrate concentrations are also observable at a regional scale. Relationships were not observed (using all contemporaneous flow data together) for basins larger than 1 million km2, suggesting that above this limit the overall size and diversity within these basins may necessitate the use of more complicated statistical approaches or that there may be no discernible basin-wide relationship with antecedent flow. The relationships between nitrate concentration and Qratio identified in this study serve as the basis for future studies that can better define specific hydrologic processes occurring during and after a drought (or high flow period) which influence nitrate concentration, such as the duration or magnitude of low flows, and the timing of low and high flows.

How alternating gaining and losing conditions along a low order agricultural stream govern the behavior of nitrogen species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Jimenez Fernandez ◽  
Karsten Osenbrück ◽  
Zhe Wang ◽  
Jan Fleckenstein ◽  
Christian Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drainage System ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Dual Isotope ◽  
Contour Maps ◽  
Molecular Approaches ◽  
Water Composition ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Low Order

<p>Perennial low order streams are normally well connected to shallow groundwater and therefore, they are among the first receptors of agricultural effluents. Understanding the processes governing the water quality in agricultural areas requires identifying sources of potential pollutants (such as nitrate), hotspots of biogeochemical reactivity and defining the different hydrologic flowpaths connecting groundwater and surface water. To this end, we have equipped an agricultural drainage system (Schönbrunnen) in south-western Germany with 3 stream gauging stations along a test segment of approximately 550 m and 33 piezometers in the adjacent shallow aquifer. Hydrological, hydrochemical, isotopic and microbiological variables have been monitored between August 2017 and December 2019 to spatially and temporally identify the controls of nitrogen cycling dynamics in our stream.</p><p>The Schönbrunnen generally loses water in its mid-segment and it gains in the lower part of the catchment, although this behavior showed strong seasonal variations, considering winter and summer as the two main annual seasons. The groundwater-streamwater (GW-SW) exchange flux, and the replacement of streamwater lost to the aquifer over a reach by shallow groundwater, defined as hydrologic turnover, was found to influence streamwater chemistry. The main groundwater flow directions were determined based on hydraulic head contour maps. We used them to characterize the nitrogen (N) species’ behavior along the flowpaths under two different hydrologic conditions: losing and gaining. Even though the losing condition at the midstream provides more favorable condition for N-species reduction at the GW-SW interface, reduction occurred also along gaining reaches. The isotope analyses of nitrate yielded data points plotting along the denitrification trend (slope of 0.5) in a dual isotope plot (<sup>15</sup>N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> versus <sup>18</sup>O-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) for some of the sampling locations within the losing area. Comprehensive molecular approaches suggested a hotspot for denitrifying microbial communities in sediments of the losing stream reach. Along the GW flow path to the gaining area a depletion of nitrate was identified in concert with increasing sulfate and declining sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S) concentrations. Sulfide-driven nitrate reduction was likely to occur under anoxic conditions in this part of the aquifer. In summary, the findings demonstrate, that hydrologic turnover does not only mean hydrological exchanges, but also triggers variations in water composition along the transition zone between groundwater and streamwater by linking both, mixing and reactive processes.</p>

scholarly journals Comparative Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Tangshan Region of the People�s Republic of China and Similar Areas in the U.S.

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph L. Domagalski ◽  
Lin Chao ◽  
Zhou Xinquan
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Total Dissolved Solids ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Dissolved Solids ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
The U.S

Groundwater quality with respect to nitrate, major inorganic constituents, stable isotopes, and tritium was assessed in the agricultural Tangshan region in the Hai He River Basin of the People’s Republic of China and compared with three regions in the U.S.: the Delmarva Peninsula of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia; the San Joaquin Valley of California; and the Sacramento Valley of California. The China and U.S. regions are similar in size and land use, but have different climatic conditions and patterns of water use for irrigation. The Tangshan region has been in agricultural production for a much longer time, probably several centuries, than the three U.S. regions; however, the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers and other soil amendments probably started at a similar time in all four regions. In all four regions, median nitrate concentrations were generally below the U.S. drinking water standard of 10 mg/l of nitrate as nitrogen. However, higher concentrations and a greater range were evident for the Tangshan region. In the water samples collected from a shallow aquifer in the Tangshan region (over 25% of all samples), nitrate concentrations exceeded the Chinese standard of 20 mg/l, whereas few comparative samples (2.6%) collected in the U.S. exceeded 20 mg/l. In Tangshan, relatively low nitrate, which is indicative of uncontaminated background concentrations, was measured in older water of deeper wells. Recently recharged water was detected in wells drilled as deep as 150 m. Nitrate concentrations above background levels were also measured in water samples from these wells. In addition to nitrate, the agricultural area of the Tangshan region has been affected by elevated total dissolved solids and iron, the latter attributed to widespread application of animal wastes and sewage deposited on the land surface, which lead to oxygen depletion in the subsurface environment and dissolution of iron. The elevated total dissolved solids of the Tangshan study area could not be attributed to any one process.

scholarly journals A Study to ascertain the Optimum Yield from Groundwater Source in the Eastern Part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Area in West Bengal, India

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj K. Roy ◽  
Gourab Banerjee ◽  
Asis Mazumdar ◽  
Amlanjyoti Kar ◽  
Arunabha Majumder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Sand Aquifer ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Pumping Wells ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Groundwater Source ◽  
Observation Wells ◽  
Maximum Drawdown

The increasing stress on fresh water resources due to ever-rising demands and profligateuses as well as growing population and industrial establishment of Kolkata is an issue ofgreat concern. The purpose of this study is to make a quantitative estimate of the availablegroundwater resources in the eastern part of Kolkata for efficient utilization andmanagement of groundwater resources. The methodology involved the investigation,drilling, lowering, collection and analysis of main well and observation wells data andgroundwater quality as well. Based upon the study of lithological logs as also the electricallog, the sub-surface deposition of the assembly pipes have been determined. The resultsindicate that the aquifers are composite and composed of sands and overlying silts/claybeds. Long term Tests pumping indicate that the main well may be capable of a long termdischarge rate of 120 m3/hr restricted at 120 m and 156.65 m. The aquifer parametersfrom the study area are estimated from the analysis of short and long durations pumpingtest data. For the alluvial aquifer, transmissivity of 1491 m2/d, hydraulic conductivity of49.7 m/d and storage coefficient of 0.0064 are recommended found by using differentmethods. Long duration pumping tests have indicated that the maximum drawdown inwater table by 4.89 m may be achievable by radius of influence about 682 m. After theclosure of pumping operation, recuperation test was also carried out in the main wells aswell as also from observation wells. Recovery test was monitored for 20 hrs after closureof pumping. Slope of the residual drawdown from t/t’ indicated aquifer transmissivity of1322 m2/d and therefore hydraulic conductivity of the alluvial sand aquifer is 44 m/dhaving an aquifer thickness of 30 m. The physico-chemical and bacteriological analysis ofgroundwater of two pumping wells were tested and the results showed the groundwatermust be disinfected before supplying to the consumers.

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