Investigation of Chemical Compositions of Urban,Industrial, Agricultural,and Rural Top‐soils in Izmir,Turkey

The top‐soil samples were collected from urban, industrial, agricultural, and rural sites to investigate the modification in the elemental composition due to anthropogenic influence in one of the biggest city of Turkey, namely Izmir. The elemental profiles were dominated by lithophilic elements such as Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, K, and sea salt element, Na, which is typical for Mediterranean region. The trace elemental concentrations showed significant variation with higher concentrations in the industrial sites, particularly in the vicinity of iron‐steel producers from scrap materials (EAF‐Steels). Lead, Zn, and Cd around EAF‐Steels were found to be higher than other sites. Comparison to universal upper crusts and local reference soil has shown that Izmir top‐soils were contaminated in terms of many trace elements, most probably due to anthropogenic activities. Correlation matrix, crustal enrichment factors, and factor analysis were applied to investigate the extent of soil modification and possible sources. The results indicated that the elemental profiles of top‐soils were mainly determined by parent materials; however, anthropogenic activities were found to be factor effective on the profile.     

Applying a Regional Transport Modeling Framework to Manage Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater

Regional nitrate contamination in groundwater is a management challenge involving multisector benefits. There is always conflict between restricting anthropogenic activities to protect groundwater quality and prioritizing economic development, especially in productive agriculture dominated areas. To mitigate the nitrate contamination in groundwater, it is necessary to develop management alternatives that simultaneously support environmental protection and sustainable economic development. A regional transport modeling framework is applied to evaluate nitrate fate and transport in the Dagu Aquifer, a shallow sandy aquifer that supplies drinking water and irrigation water for a thriving agricultural economy in Shandong Province in east coastal China. The aquifer supports intensive high-value vegetable farms and nitrate contamination is extensive. Detailed land-use information and fertilizer use data were compiled and statistical approaches were employed to analyze nitrogen source loadings and the spatiotemporal distribution of nitrate in groundwater to support model construction and calibration. The evaluations reveal that the spatial distribution and temporal trends of nitrate contamination in the Dagu Aquifer are driven by intensive fertilization and vertical water exchange, the dominant flow pattern derived from intensive agricultural pumping and irrigation. The modeling framework is employed to assess the effectiveness of potentially applicable management alternatives. The predictive results provide quantitative comparisons for the trend and extent of groundwater quality mitigation under each scenario. Recommendations are made for measures that can both improve groundwater quality and sustain productive agricultural development.     

Impacts of Seasonal Pumping on Stream‐Aquifer Interactions in Miryang,Korea

Large agricultural fields in South Korea are located mostly on alluvial plains, where a significant amount of groundwater is used for heating of water‐curtain insulated greenhouses. Such greenhouses are commonly used for crop cultivation during the winter dry season from November to March. After use the groundwater is discharged directly into streams, causing groundwater depletion. A hydrogeological study was carried out in a typical agricultural area of this type, located on an alluvial aquifer near the Nakdong River. Groundwater levels, chemical characteristics, and temperatures from 68 observation wells were analyzed to determine the impacts of seasonal groundwater pumping on the groundwater system and stream‐aquifer interactions. Our results show that the groundwater system has not yet reached a state of dynamic equilibrium. Decades of excessive seasonal pumping have caused a gradual decline of groundwater levels, leading to groundwater depletion, especially in areas further from the river. Seasonal pumping has also significantly affected groundwater quality in the aquifer near the river. Groundwater temperature is decreasing (in this case a disadvantage), and saline groundwater is being diluted by induced recharge. The results of this study provide a basic outline for effective integrated water management that is widely applicable in South Korea.     

Contribution of climatic and anthropogenic effects to the hydric deficit of peatlands

The present study makes use of a detailed water balance to investigate the hydrological status of a peatland with a basal clay‐rich layer overlying an aquifer exploited for drinking water. The aim is to determine the influence of climate and groundwater extraction on the water balance and water levels in the peatland. During the two‐year period of monitoring, the hydrological functioning of the wetland showed a hydric deficit, associated with a permanent unsaturated layer and a deep water table. At the same time, a stream was observed serving as a recharge inflow instead of draining the peatland, as usually described in natural systems. Such conditions are not favourable for peat accumulation. Field investigations show that the clay layer has a high hydraulic conductivity (from 1·10^?7 to 3·10^?9 m.s^?1) and does not form a hydraulic barrier. Moreover, the vertical hydraulic gradients are downward between the peat and the sand aquifer, leading to high flows of groundwater through the clay layer (20–48% of the precipitation). The observed hydric deficit of the peatland results from a combination of dry climatic conditions during the study period and groundwater extraction. The climatic effect is mainly expressed through drying out of the peatland, while the anthropogenic effect leads to an enhancement of the climatic effect on a global scale, and a modification of fluxes at a local scale. The drying out of the peatland can lead to its mineralisation, which thus gives rise to environmental impacts. The protection of such wetlands in the context of climate change should take account of anthropogenic pressures by considering the wetland‐aquifer interaction. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated Hydrologic Modeling to Untangle the Impacts of Water Management During Drought

Over the past century, groundwater levels in California's San Joaquin Valley have dropped by more than 30 m in some areas mostly due to excessive groundwater extraction used to irrigate agricultural lands and sustain a growing population. Between 2012 and 2015, California experienced the worst drought in its recorded history, depleting surface water supplies and further exacerbating groundwater depletion in the region. Due to a lack of groundwater regulation, exact quantities of extracted groundwater in California are unknown and hard to quantify. Recent adoption of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act has intensified efforts to identify sustainable groundwater use. However, understanding sustainable use in a highly productive agricultural system with an extremely complex surface water allocation system, variable groundwater use, and spatially extensive and diverse irrigation practices is no easy task. Using an integrated hydrologic model coupled with a land surface model, we evaluated how water management activities, specifically a suite of irrigation and groundwater pumping scenarios, impact surface water–groundwater fluxes and storage components and how those activities and the relationships between them change during drought. Results showed that groundwater pumping volume had the most significant impact on long-term water storage changes. A comparison with total water storage anomaly (TWSA) estimates from NASA's Gravity Recover and Climate Experiment (GRACE) provided some insight regarding which combinations of pumping and irrigation matched the GRACE TWSA estimates, lending credibility to these scenarios. In addition, the majority of long-term water storage changes during the recent drought occurred in groundwater storage in the deeper subsurface.     

Determination of predevelopment denudation rates of an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River, Puerto Rico) using in-situ-produced Be in river-borne quartz

Accurate estimates of watershed denudation absent anthropogenic effects are required to develop strategies for mitigating accelerated physical erosion resulting from human activities, to model global geochemical cycles, and to examine interactions among climate, weathering, and uplift. We present a simple approach to estimate predevelopment denudation rates using in-situ-produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be in fluvial sediments. Denudation processes in an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River Basin, Puerto Rico) and a matched undisturbed watershed (Icacos River Basin) were compared using ¹⁰Be concentrations in quartz for various size fractions of bed material. The coarse fractions in both watersheds bear the imprint of long subsurface residence times. Fine material from old shallow soils contributes little, however, to the present-day sediment output of the Cayaguás. This confirms the recent and presumably anthropogenic origin of the modern high denudation rate in the Cayaguás Basin and suggests that pre-agricultural erosional conditions were comparable to those of the present-day Icacos.     

Trace Element Behavior in Methane‐Rich and Methane‐Free Groundwater in North and East Texas

There is concern about adverse impacts of natural gas (primarily methane) production on groundwater quality; however, data on trace element concentrations are limited. The objective of this study was to compare the distribution of trace elements in groundwater samples with and without dissolved methane in aquifers overlying the Barnett Shale (Hood and Parker counties, 207 samples) and the Haynesville Shale (Panola County, 42 samples). Both shales have been subjected to intensive hydraulic fracturing for gas production. Well clusters with high dissolved methane were previously found in these counties and are thought to be of natural origin. Overall, groundwater in these counties is of excellent quality with typically low elemental concentrations. Several statistical analyses strongly suggest that most trace element concentrations, generally at low background levels, are no higher and even reduced when dissolved methane is present. In addition, trace element concentrations are not correlated with distance to gas wells. The reduction in trace element concentrations is attributed to anaerobic microbial degradation of methane, is associated with a higher pH (>8.5), and, likely, with precipitation of carbonates and pyrite and formation of clays. Trace and other elements are likely incorporated within the precipitating mineral crystalline network or sorbed. High pH values are found throughout these high‐methane clusters (e.g., Parker‐Hood cluster), even in subregions where methane is not present, which is consistent with a pervasive natural origin of dissolved methane rather than a limited gas well source.     

Quantifying threats to groundwater resources in the Republic of Maldives Part I: Future rainfall patterns and sea‐level rise

Reserves of fresh groundwater on atoll islands are extremely fragile due to climatic and anthropogenic stresses. Of major concern is the quantity of water to be available in the coming decades under the influence of variable rainfall patterns, rising sea level, environmental conditions, and expected population growth that depends on groundwater resources. In this study, a 3‐dimensional numerical modelling approach using the SEAWAT modelling code is used to estimate freshwater lens volume fluctuation for 4 representative islands in the Republic of Maldives in response to long‐term changes in rainfall, sea‐level rise (SLR), and anthropogenic stresses such as groundwater pumping and short‐term impacts from tsunami‐induced marine overwash events. This work is divided into 2 papers. This first paper presents numerical model set‐up and calibration, and the effect of future rainfall patterns and SLR on fresh groundwater reserves. The second paper focuses on marine overwash events. The results of simulated future freshwater lens volume presented in the first study contribute to efficient groundwater resources planning and management for the Maldives in the upcoming decades. Freshwater lenses in small atoll islands (area < 0.6 km²) are shown to have a strong variability trends in the upcoming decades with expected reduction in lens volume between 11% and 36% due to SLR. In contrast, freshwater lenses in larger atoll islands (area > 1.0 km²) are shown to have less variability to changing patterns with expected reduction in lens volume between 8% and 26% due to SLR. Study results can provide water resource managers with valuable findings for consideration in water security measures.     

Comparison of environmental tracers including organic micropollutants as groundwater exfiltration indicators into a small river of a karstic catchment

Understanding groundwater–surface water (GW–SW) interactions is vital for water management in karstic catchments due to its impact on water quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the applicability of seven environmental tracers to quantify and localize groundwater exfiltration into a small, human-impacted karstic river system. Tracers were selected based on their emission source to the surface water either as (a) dissolved, predominantly geogenic compounds (radon-222, sulphate and electrical conductivity) or (b) anthropogenic compounds (predominantly) originating from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents (carbamazepine, tramadol, sodium, chloride). Two contrasting sampling approaches were compared (a) assuming steady-state flow conditions and (b) considering the travel time of the water parcels (Lagrangian sampling) through the catchment to account for diurnal changes in inflow from the WWTP. Spatial variability of the concentrations of all tracers indicated sections of preferential groundwater inflow. Lagrangian sampling techniques seem highly relevant for capturing dynamic concentration patterns of WWTP-derived compounds. Quantification of GW inflow with the finite element model FINIFLUX, based on observed in-stream Rn activities led to plausible fluxes along the investigated river reaches (0.265 m³ s⁻¹), while observations of other natural or anthropogenic environmental tracers produced less plausible water fluxes. Important point sources of groundwater exfiltration can be ascribed to locations where the river crosses geological fault lines. This indicates that commonly applied concepts describing groundwater–surface water interactions assuming diffuse flow in porous media are difficult to transfer to karstic river systems whereas concepts from fractured aquifers may be more applicable. In general, this study helps selecting the best suited hydrological tracer for GW exfiltration and leads to a better understanding of processes controlling groundwater inflow into karstic river systems.     

Hindcasting multidecadal predevelopment groundwater levels in the Floridan aquifer

Establishing predevelopment benchmark groundwater conditions is challenging without long-term records to discern impacts of pumping and climate change on aquifer levels. Understanding periodic natural cycles and trends require 100 years or more data which rarely exist. Using limited records, we develop an approach to hindcast multidecadal levels and examine the temporal evolution of climatic and pumping impacts. The methodology includes a wavelet-aided statistical model, constrained by temporal scales of physical processes responsible for groundwater level variation, including rainfall, evapotranspiration and pumping stresses. The model and hindcasts are tested at three sites in Florida using traditional split calibration-verification methods for the period of record and with the documented historical drought and wet years for the period of no-record. The pumping impact is quantified over time and compared with regional groundwater models, revealing that withdrawals are responsible for 30 to 70% of the declines in levels since 1960s. Hindcasting yielding 110 years of monthly levels is used to assess the effect of climate change and pumping on the frequency of critical low levels. At all three sites, the frequencies of critical low levels increase significantly in the 1960 to 2015 period when compared to the 1904 to 1959 period. For example, at site 1, the return period of the critical low level is shortened by 3.9 years due to climate change and 2.2 years due to pumping.     

Innovative Contaminant Mass Flux Monitoring in an Aquifer Subject to Tidal Effects

Exposure from groundwater contamination to aquatic receptors residing in receiving surface water is dependent upon the rate of contaminated groundwater discharge. Characterization of groundwater fluxes is challenging, especially in coastal environments where tidal fluctuations result in transient groundwater flows towards these receptors. This can also be further complicated by the high spatial heterogeneity of subsurface deposits enhanced by anthropogenic influences such as the mixing of natural sediments and backfill materials, the presence of subsurface built structures such as sheet pile walls or even occurrence of other sources of contaminant discharge. In this study, the finite volume point dilution method (FVPDM) was successfully used to characterize highly transient groundwater flows and contaminant mass fluxes within a coastal groundwater flow system influenced by marked tides. FVPDM tests were undertaken continuously for more than 48 h at six groundwater monitoring wells, in order to evaluate groundwater flow dynamics during several tide cycles. Contaminant concentrations were measured simultaneously which allowed calculating contaminant mass fluxes. The study highlighted the importance of the aquifer heterogeneity, with groundwater fluxes ranging from 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻³ m/s. Groundwater flux monitoring enabled a significant refinement of the conceptual site model, including the fact that inversion of groundwater fluxes was not observed at high tide. Results indicated that contaminant mass fluxes were particularly higher at a specific monitoring well, by more than three orders of magnitude, than at other wells of the investigated aquifer. This study provided crucial information for optimizing further field investigations and risk mitigation measures.     

Assessing the restoration time of surface water and groundwater systems under groundwater pumping

Since surface water and groundwater systems are fully coupled and integrated, increased groundwater withdrawal during drought may reduce groundwater discharges into the stream, thereby prolonging both systems’ recovery from drought. To analyze watershed response to basin-level groundwater pumping, we propose a modelling framework to understand the resiliency of surface water and groundwater systems using an integrated hydrologic model under transient pumping. The proposed framework incorporates uncertainties in initial conditions to develop robust estimates of restoration times of both surface water and groundwater and quantifies how pumping impacts state variables such as soil moisture. Groundwater pumping impacts over a watershed were also analyzed under different pumping volumes and different potential climate scenarios. Our analyses show that groundwater restoration time is more sensitive to variability in climate forcings as opposed to changes in pumping volumes. After the cessation of pumping, streamflow recovers quickly in comparison to groundwater, which has higher persistence. Pumping impacts on various hydrologic variables were also discussed. Potential for developing optimal conjunctive management plans using seasonal-to-interannual climate forecasts is also discussed.     

Impacts of environmental stressors on the water resources of intensively managed hydrologic systems

Watersheds are complex systems due to their surface and subsurface spatially connected water fluxes and biochemical processes that shape Earth's critical zone. In intensively managed landscapes, the implementation of watershed management practices (WMPs) regulate their short‐term responses, whereas climate variability controls the long‐term processes. Understanding their responses to anthropogenic and natural stressors requires a holistic approach that takes into account their multiscale spatio‐temporal linkages. The objective of this study was to simulate the impacts of spatially and temporally varying WMPs and projected climate changes on the surface and groundwater resources in the Upper Sangamon River Basin (USRB), a watershed in central Illinois greatly impacted by agricultural and industrial operations. The physically based hydrologic model MIKE‐SHE was used to simulate the hydrologic responses of the basin to different WMPs and climatic conditions. The simulation of a WMP was varied spatially across the basin to determine the spectrum of responses and critical conditions. In general, the wetlands and forested riparian buffer scenarios were found to cause a reduction in the average streamflow, whereas crop rotation had varied responses depending on the location of implementation and the climate condition assumed. Reductions of up to 30% in the average streamflow were found for the forested riparian buffer under the ESM 2M climate projections, whereas an increase of up to 13% with the crop rotation schemes under CM3 climate was predicted. The model results showed that the installation of tile drains across the USRB increased the water table depth (from ground level) by up to 56%, making crop production possible. Groundwater level in USRB appeared to be more sensitive to future climatic conditions than to WMP implementation. The impacts of WMPs are determined to depend on the climate conditions under which they are applied. Investigating individual and combined stressors' effects over the critical zone at a watershed scale can lead to a more comprehensive analysis of the risk and trade‐offs in every managerial decision that will enable an efficient use of resources.     

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Extracted Groundwater Volumes Estimated from Electricity Consumption

Land subsidence caused by groundwater overexploitation is a serious global problem. The acquisition of spatiotemporal pumping rates and volumes is a first step for water managers to develop a strategic plan for mitigating land subsidence. This study investigates an empirical formulation to estimate the monthly maximum pumped volume over a 10-year period based on electric power consumption data. A spatiotemporal variability analysis of monthly pumped volume is developed to provide an improved understanding of seasonal pumping patterns and the role of irrigation type. The analysis of regional pumped volume provides an approximation of the spatiotemporal patterns of the variations in pumped volume. Results show the effects of climate, seasonal changes in pumping from irrigation, and the local differences in pumping caused to crop types. A seasonal pumped volume peak occurs annually, with the highest and least pumped volumes occurring in March (highest peak) and September (lowest peak), respectively. However, the majority of the historical maximum pumped volumes have occurred during the last few years. Extracted volumes continue to increase in some locations. The analysis reveals increasing trends in pumping, thereby possibly providing the locations where increased effective stresses may lead to land subsidence.     

Groundwater Availability as Constrained by Hydrogeology and Environmental Flows

Groundwater pumping from aquifers in hydraulic connection with nearby streams has the potential to cause adverse impacts by decreasing flows to levels below those necessary to maintain aquatic ecosystems. The recent passage of the Great Lakes‐St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact has brought attention to this issue in the Great Lakes region. In particular, the legislation requires the Great Lakes states to enact measures for limiting water withdrawals that can cause adverse ecosystem impacts. This study explores how both hydrogeologic and environmental flow limitations may constrain groundwater availability in the Great Lakes Basin. A methodology for calculating maximum allowable pumping rates is presented. Groundwater availability across the basin may be constrained by a combination of hydrogeologic yield and environmental flow limitations varying over both local and regional scales. The results are sensitive to factors such as pumping time, regional and local hydrogeology, streambed conductance, and streamflow depletion limits. Understanding how these restrictions constrain groundwater usage and which hydrogeologic characteristics and spatial variables have the most influence on potential streamflow depletions has important water resources policy and management implications.     

Groundwater age rejuvenation caused by excessive urban pumping in Jakarta area,Indonesia

Rapid urbanization in the Jakarta area has become a severe subsurface environmental issue as it entails groundwater level decline and land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater pumping. In this study, apparent groundwater age rejuvenation in the deep aquifer under DKI Jakarta was found by comparing ¹⁴C activities between 1985 and 2008. We discussed the use of a numerical groundwater flow model to evaluate the rejuvenation process in this urbanized area. When considering the deep aquifer in the DKI Jakarta area, we can assume six direction fluxes toward the aquifer: two vertical fluxes (downward and upward flux) and four horizontal fluxes (northern, southern, western, and eastern flux). Results of model calculations show that the greatest groundwater flux among six flux directions became ‘vertical downward flux’, which means that shallower groundwater intrudes into the deep one because of excessive groundwater pumping from the mid‐1980s. This flux grows about 50% during the 2000s. This result is consistent with the detection of CFC‐12 and SF₆, which functions as an indicator of young groundwater even in the deep groundwater. The rejuvenation ratio ‘R’ was determined using ¹⁴C activity in the groundwater; R increases with the CFC‐12 concentration and both show good correlation. Furthermore, we estimated the ‘vertical downward flux’ at each well's screen depth using model estimation. Results show that this flux is greater in the urban groundwater depression area and especially at shallower parts of the deep aquifer, and that it affects the magnitude of the shallow groundwater intrusion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal allocation of water and land resources for maximizing the farm income and minimizing the irrigation-induced environmental problems

The continuous decrease in good quality water and land resources and concurrent increase in global population accentuates the need of optimal allocation of these resources to fulfilling the rising food requirements. This study presents the formulation and application a management model for the optimal allocation of available good quality water and land resources to maximize the farm revenue of a canal command area. A groundwater balance constraint was imposed on the model, which moderates the irrigation-induced environmental problems of waterlogging and salinization, while making the optimal allocation of resources. The model results show a reduction in mustard, rice, and gram crop areas against an increase in sorghum, millets, and wheat areas. The net annual revenue from the command area increased by about 18 % under the optimal allocation plans. The farmers and stakeholders concerned in the actual agricultural production process are suggested to use groundwater and canal water conjunctively to maximizing the farm income. This strategy would also mitigate the hydrological imbalances to the groundwater system without installing costly drainage systems which is not viable as the quality of groundwater is poor and drainage water may cause a serious disposal problem. The developed model can be used as a reliable decision tool for taking the farm and regional level decisions of optimal land and water resources allocation and is able to solve the irrigation-induced environmental problems of agricultural systems.     

Modelling evaporation processes in soils from the Huasco salt flat basin,Chile

The need to understand and simulate hydrological phenomena and their interactions, and the impact of anthropogenic and climate changes on natural environments have promoted the study of evaporation from bare soils in arid climates. In closed Altiplano basins, such as those encountered in arid and hyper arid basins in northern Chile, evaporation from shallow groundwater is the main source of aquifer depletion, and thus, its study is crucial for water resources management. The objective of this work is to understand the mechanisms of evaporation in saline soils with shallow water tables, in order to better quantify evaporation fluxes and improve our understanding of the water balance in these regions. To achieve this objective, a model that couples fluid flow with heat transfer was developed and calibrated using column experiments with saline soils from the Huasco salt flat basin, Chile. The model enables determination of both liquid and water vapour fluxes, as well as the location of the evaporation front. Experimental results showed that salt transport inside the soil profile modified the water retention curve, highlighting the importance of including salt transport when modelling the evaporation processes in these soils. Indeed, model simulations only agreed with the experimental data when the effect of salt transport on water retention curves was taken into account. Model results also showed that the evaporation front is closer to the soil surface as the water table depth reduces. Therefore, the model allows determining the groundwater level depth that results in disconnection of liquid fluxes in the vadose zone. A sensitivity analysis allowed understanding the effect of water‐flux enhancements mechanisms on soil evaporation. The results presented in this study are important as they allow quantifying the evaporation that occurs in bare soils from Altiplano basins, which is typically the main water discharge in these closed basins. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating infiltration losses in a Mediterranean wetland: Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park,Spain

Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park is a series of wetlands which naturally originated from groundwater discharges from the Mancha Occidental aquifer, Spain. Despite the relatively large size of this aquifer, 30 years of intensive groundwater pumping have significantly depleted the water table. As a result, wetlands only remain functional due to artificial inflows. Infiltration loss is therefore a key parameter to evaluate how much water is needed to maintain ecosystem functionality. Although yearly infiltration estimates existed prior to this work, these did not take into account key parameters such as the temporal evolution of the flooded area. This paper presents a more concrete estimate of the average infiltration losses. Infiltration is calculated as the closure term of daily water balances during a period of time where all other elements were known to an acceptable accuracy. A validation mechanism is provided to check the potential utility of the calculated infiltration in wetland management practices. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic Characterization of Sulfate in a Shallow Aquifer Impacted by Agricultural Fertilizer

The stable isotope ratios of groundwater sulfate (³⁴S/³²S, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O) are often used as tracers to help determine the origin of groundwater or groundwater contaminants. In agricultural watersheds, little is known about how the increased use of sulfur as a soil amendment to optimize crop production is affecting the isotopic composition of groundwater sulfate, especially in shallow aquifers. We investigated the isotopic composition of synthetic agricultural fertilizers and groundwater sulfate in an area of intensive agricultural activity, in Ontario, Canada. Groundwater samples from an unconfined surficial sand aquifer (Lake Algonquin Sand Aquifer) were analyzed from multi-level monitoring wells, riverbank seeps, and private domestic wells. Fertilizers used in the area were analyzed for sulfur/sulfate content and stable isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O and/or δ³⁴S). Fertilizers were isotopically distinct from geological sources of groundwater sulfate in the watershed and groundwater sulfate exhibited a wide range of δ³⁴S (−6.9 to +20.0‰) and δ¹⁸O (−5.0 to +13.7‰) values. Quantitative apportionment of sulfate sources based on stable isotope data alone was not possible, largely because two of the potential fertilizer sulfate sources had an isotopic composition on the mixing line between two natural geological sources of sulfate in the aquifer. This study demonstrates that, when sulfate isotope analysis is being used as a tracer or co-tracer of the origin of groundwater or of contaminants in groundwater, sulfate derived from synthetic fertilizer needs to be considered as a potential source, especially when other parameters such as nitrate independently indicate fertilizer impacts to groundwater quality.