Assessing aquifer vulnerability to pollutants by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) at a nitrate vulnerable zone in NE Spain

There is an increasing demand for groundwater vulnerability maps which illustrate the exposure of aquifers against pollution. These maps show areas of greatest potential for groundwater contamination on the basis of local subsurface conditions. Parameters affecting vulnerability are mainly permeability and thickness of each protective layer. For unconsolidated sediments, the permeability is strongly related to the clay content, which can be deduced from indirect resistivity methods, like electrical-imaging. Such geophysical methods can be of great help in groundwater vulnerability studies because they disturb neither the structure nor the dynamics of the soil. Sensibility analysis was performed of the electrical resistivity tomography method for accurately mapping soil media. Managers and public administrators may effectively use this method for assessing the potential risk of groundwater contamination. In the studied zone, electrical resistivity exhibits a wide range of variability that can be easily correlated to soil parameters, such as clay content and hydraulic conductivity. A numerical index of protection has been assessed from the geophysical information derived from 2D electrical resistivity tomography. This work represents a preliminary approach on the natural vulnerability evaluation of shallow aquifers at the Empordà basin (NE Spain) that is highly affected by diffuse pollution by nitrates.     

Near surface lithology and spatial variation of arsenic in the shallow groundwater: southeastern Bangladesh

This study investigated the relationship between near-surface lithology and the spatial variability of As concentrations using sediment grain-size analysis and electromagnetic induction survey in the southeast Bangladesh. It has been observed that the aquifers overlain by finer sediments have higher concentrations of As in groundwater, whereas As concentrations are remarkably low in aquifers having permeable sandy materials or thinner silt/clay layer at the surface. The near-surface lithology acts as a controlling factor for spatial distributions of groundwater As within the very shallow depths (<15 m). Shallow alluvial aquifers can provide low-As drinking water in many areas of the country when tube wells are properly installed after investigation of the overlying near-surface sediment attributes and hydraulic properties.     

“逐步逼近式”找水方法及其在缺水地区水文地质勘查中的应用

在缺水地区开展找水水文地质勘查工作,如何提高成井供水效率,科学的找水方法至关重要。笔者介绍近10年来在我国西部地区300多个缺水村镇找水水文地质勘查实践中,总结出＂逐步逼近式＂找水方法。主要包括利用前人调查成果通过预研究确定找水方向、应用遥感解译方法圈定找水靶区、辅以简易快速物探方法的中比例尺地面调查确定富水地段、详细地面调查与物探组合技术结合优化确定钻探孔位、不同含水层选择相应钻探方法和成井工艺5个步骤。以及针对不同找水区在遥感数据源选择、简易快速物探方法应用与多方法有效组合探测的技术要点。     

Numerical modeling of fracking fluid migration through fault zones and fractures in the North German Basin

Gas production from shale formations by hydraulic fracturing has raised concerns about the effects on the quality of fresh groundwater. The migration of injected fracking fluids towards the surface was investigated in the North German Basin, based on the known standard lithology. This included cases with natural preferential pathways such as permeable fault zones and fracture networks. Conservative assumptions were applied in the simulation of flow and mass transport triggered by a high pressure boundary of up to 50 MPa excess pressure. The results show no significant fluid migration for a case with undisturbed cap rocks and a maximum of 41 m vertical transport within a permeable fault zone during the pressurization. Open fractures, if present, strongly control the flow field and migration; here vertical transport of fracking fluids reaches up to 200 m during hydraulic fracturing simulation. Long-term transport of the injected water was simulated for 300 years. The fracking fluid rises vertically within the fault zone up to 485 m due to buoyancy. Progressively, it is transported horizontally into sandstone layers, following the natural groundwater flow direction. In the long-term, the injected fluids are diluted to minor concentrations. Despite the presence of permeable pathways, the injected fracking fluids in the reported model did not reach near-surface aquifers, either during the hydraulic fracturing or in the long term. Therefore, the probability of impacts on shallow groundwater by the rise of fracking fluids from a deep shale-gas formation through the geological underground to the surface is small.     

Groundwater quality of porous aquifers in Greece: a synoptic review

Greece is dependent on groundwater resources for its water supply. The main aquifers are within carbonate rocks (karstic aquifers) and coarse grained Neogene and Quaternary deposits (porous aquifers). The use of groundwater resources has become particularly intensive in coastal areas during the last decades with the intense urbanization, tourist development and irrigated land expansion. Sources of groundwater pollution are the seawater intrusion due to over-exploitation of coastal aquifers, the fertilizers from agricultural activities and the disposal of untreated wastewater in torrents or in old pumping wells. In the last decades the total abstractions from coastal aquifers exceed the natural recharge; so the aquifer systems are not used safely. Over-exploitation causes a negative water balance, triggering seawater intrusion. Seawater intrusion phenomena are recorded in coastal aquifer systems. Nitrate pollution is the second major source of groundwater degradation in many areas in Greece. The high levels of nitrate are probably the result of over-fertilization and the lack of sewage systems in some urban areas.     

Groundwater quality monitoring system in zones of infrastructure facilities

Protection of groundwater already is and will also be in the future, a particularly important environmental, socio-economic, social welfare and political task. The fact that the costs of preventive measures are 10–20 times lower than the funds needed to clean up and revitalize polluted aquifers, as well as the fact that the area to be occupied with transport communications and other infrastructure facilities will aggravate protection, both call for an urgent introduction of modern methods of monitoring and preserving all the existing and potential groundwater resources. The basic principle of groundwater protection against pollution means constant control and preventive measures of protection, namely prevention of incidental and other kinds of pollution. The very construction of communications and all accompanying facilities changes and degrades the existent natural geological environment, and when in use they may become structures in whose immediate surrounds surface and ground waters may be polluted by the toxic and waste substances transported. The experience gained through the following activities: the ‘pilot model’ for groundwater monitoring in the zone of Makis, the investigations and monitoring of critical sites polluted with xylene (CIP, Belgrade, 1994/95), and information on the latest achievements in this field in the world (obtained while working on the study of methodology of hydrogeological investigations needed for groundwater quality monitoring system — Jaroslav Cerni Institute for the Development of Water Resources, Belgrade, 1998), stresses a necessity to obligatory design and construct operational systems for groundwater quality monitoring, particularly in the zones of infrastructure facilities (roads, railway, gas pipelines, oil pipelines), which can be considered as potential linear polluters. In that light, this paper is a contribution to developing hydrogeological investigation methodology for designing and operating a monitoring system in the zones of roads, and its legal and practical incorporation in the technical documents of each project. Besides, an emphasis is put on multidisciplinary approach to system implementation, its full automation, rational management, and effective and optimal measures for groundwater protection.     

中国地下水污染修复方法和技术应用展望

[研究目的]:中国地下水污染调查和修复日益受到科学界的重视,了解和掌握地下水污染修复方法和技术有助于对污染场地进行科学修复.[研究方法]:本文在系统分析国内外地下水污染修复案例的基础上,对中国地下水污染修复现场实施的技术方法进行总结.[研究结果]:结合中国区域经济发展特征和地下水污染调查评价成果认为,复杂的水文地质条件...     

Use of a new method for determining the vulnerability and risk of pollution of major groundwater reservoirs in the region of Annaba–Bouteldja (NE Algeria)

Scientists are deeply concerned by the state of vulnerability of groundwater reservoirs. It is a complex task because of the difficulties in determining the degree of pollution of the groundwater. Many methods have been adopted like (DRASTIC, GOD, SI, SINTACS…). Another method (Kherici et al. in Geogr Tech 1–14, 2010) is added to identify the vulnerability of groundwater reservoirs and control the evolution of pollutants. The present article targets the determination of the vulnerability and risks of pollution of groundwater reservoirs of a climatic Mediterranean region (Annaba–Bouteldja region). The device used is based on the combination of two criteria: natural factors (thickness of the unsaturated zone, geological facies and degree of self-purification) and the causes of vulnerability and the pollution risks entropic factors (caused by man). The application of Kherici’s method has revealed a distinction between the different degrees of pollution and has allowed a neat classification of the different reservoirs in the study. The results lead to a vulnerability map and the risks of pollution of Annaba–Bouteldja different aquifers. It has also led to the installation of protection areas; sustained by an efficient general evacuation plan of the sewerage net and the construction of treatment station of the sewage effluents in the urbanized areas.     

北京城近郊区地下水质特征与污染研究

目前,北京平原区地下水总体较好,局部地下水污染主要集中在城近郊区。通过研究表明,地下水的污染程度、范围与地下水的赋存条件、开采利用状况有密切联系。通过对历史资料的系统分析,查明其污染发展过程可划分为四个阶段:水质自然状况、水质污染缓慢发展阶段、水质污染加快阶段和趋于稳定阶段。目前北京在城近郊区地下水质逐渐趋于稳定。北京城近郊区地下水污染主要是工业、生活以及排污河渠等污染源的影响,其污染的程度．分布范围还与地区包气带岩性、结构、厚度有关,含水层的岩性及地下水流场控制着污染物的迁移。     

贵州主要碳酸盐岩含水层污染现状与特征

岩溶地区地下水环境脆弱,易受人类活动及区域环境变化影响.目前将岩溶水污染与污染点所在区域的地层岩性、水文地质条件等结合起来的研究较少.采用改进后的层级阶梯评价法开展贵州省区域地下水污染评价,并结合实地调查分析污染成因.结果显示二叠系栖霞-茅口组,三叠系下统嘉陵江组、夜郎组等,中统关岭组、杨柳井组等是全省污染程度最高的碳酸盐岩含水层,原因与含水层岩石类型和出露位置密切相关.含水层岩石类型与特点决定了含水介质组合类型、岩溶发育程度和污染途径污染距离,石灰岩地层天然防污能力差,以中远源径流型污染为主,白云岩地层天然防污能力较好,以近源入渗型污染为主.贵州产煤地层龙潭组上覆嘉陵江组、夜郎组,下伏栖霞-茅口组最易受煤矿开采及其化工影响,污染组分以铁、铝、锰为主;而三叠系碳酸盐岩分布区域与安顺、贵阳、遵义等大中型城市和磷化工、铝工业、锰系铁合金生产等工矿企业聚集区域重合度高,更容易受到生产生活影响,污染组分多为氨氮、重金属、耗氧量及有机污染组分.      

Mapping groundwater conditions in different geological environments in the northern area of UAE using 2D earth resistivity imaging survey

A water resources database was developed and used to characterize the geological and hydrogeological settings of groundwater aquifers in the northern part of the United Arab Emirates. An intensive 2D Earth Resistivity Imaging (ERI) survey was conducted in selected areas to assess the available groundwater resources and delineate the salt-water intrusion. Drilling information of the existing monitoring wells as well as their records of water table elevations and groundwater salinity were used to measure the horizontal and vertical variations in lithology, degree of saturation, and groundwater salinity and thus to improve the interpretation of ERI data. The results of the chemical analyses of water samples collected from the wells along with the 2D ERI survey profiles were used to obtain an empirical relationship between the inferred earth resistivity and the amount of total dissolved solids. This relationship was used along with the true resistivity sections resulting from the inversion of 2D ERI data to identify and map three zones of water-bearing formation (fresh, brackish, and salt-water zones) in the coastal areas. The results indicated that the depth to the fresh-brackish interface exceeded 50 m at the upstream of the wadies and was in the order of 10 m or less in the vicinity of shoreline. Because of the high resistivity contrast between dry and water saturated fractured rocks; this method was very successful in detecting water-filled fractures and cavities in the carbonate aquifer. The application of this method was unsuccessful in clayey aquifers as it was not possible to isolate lenses of gravel and/or saturated with saline or brackish water from the surrounding clayey materials.     

Integrated geophysical, geochemical and hydrogeological investigation of shallow groundwater resources in parts of the Ikom-Mamfe Embayment and the adjoining areas in Cross River State, Nigeria

Information generated from geophysical, geochemical and hydrogeological data has been used in assessing the groundwater resource potential, quality and usability and in mapping flow directions within the shallow subsurface of the Mamfe Embayment, Cross River State, Nigeria. The electrical resistivity technique in which the Schlumberger’s vertical electrical sounding field procedure has been adopted was the geophysical method employed; lithology logs from drilling records, discharge rates, static water level information were the hydrogeological information utilized, while the geochemical techniques involve analyses of water samples. Apparent resistances were measured using different resistivity meters including OYO McOhm (model 2115), ABEM terrameter (SAS300B and SAS1000 models) and IGIS (SSP-ATS-MRP model) with maximum current electrode separation reaching 1 km in some communities. Geological information was used as control in the modelling and interpretation of all geophysical data. The physico-chemical parameters of the water samples from the different water sources in the area were determined using different analytical techniques and in some cases, by in situ direct measurement of some parameters. Measured values of electrical conductivity, static water level, available aquifer discharge information and calculated SAR and %Na were integrated into the geophysical and hydrogeological results. The shallow subsurface of the area is segmented into four hydrogeological provinces [crystalline basement province (CBP), Cross River Plain Province (CRPP), Nkporo-Afikpo Shales Province (NASP) and alluvial/buried river province (ABRP) with localized groundwater flow patterns]. Results indicated that the alluvial (discharge rate of 3.83 L/s), fractured sandstone (discharge rate of 2.43 L/s) and basement (discharge rate of 1.80 L/s) aquifers are more yielding than the aquifers in areas covered with deformed shales (discharge rate of 0.62 L/s) and siltstone aquifers (discharge rate of 0.97 L/s). The aquifer horizons are inhomogeneous and anisotropic with topography and lithology exerting significant influence on groundwater flow direction. However, there appears to be some high yielding aquifers at depths greater than 100 m in the CRPP areas although researches on their distribution are still ongoing. Precipitation is the major source of recharge and the water is enriched with Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, ${\text{HCO}}_{ 3}^{ - }$ , Cl^?, ${\text{SO}}_{ 4}^{2 - }$ and ${\text{NO}}_{ 3}^{ - }$ throughout the year. Graphical analyses of hydrochemical data using Piper and Stiff diagrams show that Ca–(Mg)–CO₃–HCO₃ is the dominant water facies. Results from EC, SAR and %Na show that the water is fresh and belongs to the good-to-excellent class and is, therefore, suitable for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.     

Geophysical Surveys over Karst Recharge Features,Illinois,USA

Karst aquifers supply a significant fraction of the world's drinking water. These types of aquifers are alsohighly susceptible to pollution from the surface with recharge usually occurring through fractures and solution openings at the bedrock surface. Thickness of the protective soil cover, macropores and openings within the soil cover, and the nature of the weathered bedrock surface all influence infiltration. Recharge openings at the bedrock surface, however, are often covered by unconsolidated sediments, resulting in the inadvertent placement of landfills, unregulated dump sites, tailing piles, waste lagoons and septic systems over recharge zones. In these settings surface geophysical surveys, calibrated by a few soil cores, could be employed to identify these recharge openings, and qualitatively assess the protection afforded by the soil cover. In a test of this hypothesis, geophysical measurements accurately predicted the thickness of unconsolidated deposits overlying karstic dolomite at a site ab     

Movement of contaminants in karstified carbonate rocks

Dynamic flow systems and transport of contaminants in karstic aquifers result from the actions of physical and chemical processes involving aqueous systems containing certain contaminants. These processes are elaborated, and pertinent mathematical and chemical equations are discussed, herein. Contaminant transport in karstic aquifers can be mathematically expressed by the basic equations evaluated primarily for the flow in porous, highly permeable aquifers. The effects of advection, hydrodynamic dispersion, and dilution are elaborated as physical processes that effect the movement of contaminants through groundwater in permeable rocks. Physical and chemical mechanisms that govem contaminant movement and groundwater flow through fractured media are proposed as the basis of an approximate scenario of contaminant transport through karstified carbonate rocks.     

西龙河水源地水文地质特征初步研究

为了合理利用岩溶水,根据物探及水源井资料,对西龙河水源地岩溶水水文地质特征进行了初步研究。结果表明：西龙河水源地奥陶系碳酸盐岩岩溶发育程度主要受岩性、构造及埋藏条件等因素的控制,随方解石含量的增高而增强,随水动力条件的减弱而减弱,随深度的增加而减弱;主要接受大气降水以及区外岩溶地下水的侧向径流补给,向人工开采区排泄;岩溶水水位动态变化具明显的平盘上升、平盘下降和缓降陡升的特点,岩溶含水层具较强的导水性能和恢复功能;岩溶水水质良好。     

导电性对地面核磁共振信号的影响研究

与其它勘探方法相比,核磁共振(NuclearMagneticResonance,缩写NMR)的方法是直接勘探地下水中NMR信号的唯一有效方法,该信号的初始振幅决定了含水层深度及自由水的含量。但在实际工作中,大地导电性对含水地层中的NMR信号有直接影响,使得同样脉冲矩条件下,勘探深度有变化。为了评价大地(岩石)导电性对勘探深度的影响,建立了一个地面找水模型,对NMR信号进行数值模拟。仿真结果表明,NMR信号的振幅可以评价含水地层的结构,但大地导电性的增强将导致勘探深度的降低。     

Management of freshwater lenses on small Pacific islands

The nature of shallow aquifers and the impacts of seawater intrusion in small islands within the Pacific Ocean are reviewed. Many Pacific islands rely on shallow fresh groundwater lenses in highly permeable aquifers, underlain and surrounded by seawater, as their principal freshwater source. It is argued here that, in small islands, the nature of fresh groundwater lenses and their host aquifers coupled with frequent natural and ever-present anthropogenic threats make them some of the most vulnerable aquifer systems in the world. A simple steady-state approximation is used to provide insight into the key climatic, hydrogeological, physiographic, and management factors that influence the quantity of, and saline intrusion into freshwater lenses. Examples of the dynamic nature of freshwater lenses as they respond to these drivers are given. Natural and human-related threats to freshwater lenses are discussed. Long dry periods strongly coupled to sea surface temperatures impact on the quantity and salinity of fresh groundwater. The vulnerability of small island freshwater lenses dictates careful assessment, vigilant monitoring, appropriate development, and astute management. Strategies to aid future groundwater sustainability in small islands are presented and suggested improvements to donor and aid programs in water are also advanced.     

Development of a coupled surface-groundwater-pipe network model for the sustainable management of karstic groundwater

This paper considers the hydrogeological simulation of groundwater movement in karstic regions using a hydrological modelling system (SHETRAN) which has been adapted for modelling flow in karstic aquifers. Flow and transport through karstic aquifers remains poorly understood, yet quantitative hydrogeological models are essential for developing and implementing groundwater protection policies. The new model has been developed and used within the STALAGMITE (Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Karstic Environments) project, funded by the European Commission. The SHETRAN model is physically based insofar as most of the parameters have some physical meaning. The SHETRAN model represents all of the key processes in the hydrological cycle, including subsurface flow in the saturated and unsaturated zones, surface flow over the ground surface and in channels, rainfall interception by vegetation canopies, evapotranspiration, snow-pack development and snowmelt. The modifications made to SHETRAN to simulate karstic aquifers are (1) the coupling of a pipe network model to a variably saturated, three-dimensional groundwater component (the VSS-NET component), to simulate flow under pressure in saturated conduits; (2) the coupling of surface water features (e.g. sinking streams or "ponors", and spring discharges) to the conduit system; (3) the addition of a preferential "bypass" flow mechanism to represent vertical infiltration through a high-conductivity epikarst zone. Lastly, a forward particle tracking routine has been developed to trace the path of hypothetical particles with matrix and pipe flow to springs or other discharge points. This component allows the definition of groundwater protection zones around a source for areas of the catchment (watershed) which are vulnerable to pollution from non-point sources (agriculture and forestry).     

从一个布井失败案例探讨多种地球物理方法综合研究

为探讨多种地球物理方法结合的重要性,以一个应用地球物理方法布井失败案例为研究对象,通过比较高密度电阻率法、磁共振探测以及两种方法结合的探测结果与实际钻探资料的差异,分析了每种方法的优缺点,并借助经济成本计算,讨论了多种方法结合的可行性。结果表明:高密度电阻率法与磁共振探测各有优缺点。高密度电阻率法可很好地判断地层结构的整体变化,但对岩性的推断具有较强的不确定性。磁共振探测推断的地层岩性与钻孔资料基本吻合,但无法判断是否有断层或裂隙带存在。高密度电阻率法与磁共振探测结合推断的剖面尺度上地层岩性和厚度变化与钻孔资料基本一致,是揭示地层岩性及含水层位置的有效方法,说明应重视多种方法结合的研究及应用。相比不采用任何地球物理方法或单一方法,两种方法结合的费用更低,在实际应用中具有可行性。