Management of karst aquifers in Serbia for water supply

Karst aquifers represent one of the main sources of water supply in Serbia. Wide distributions of karstic areas, abundant reserves, and excellent quality of karst groundwater have been the reasons for its extensive use in water supply systems throughout the country. In Serbia, 70 karstic sources have been tapped for centralized water supply, with the assessed minimal capacity exceeding 4.5 m³/s. Most of the large cities of Eastern and Western Serbia currently use karst groundwater for water supply; however, due to unstable flow regime when only natural springflow is tapped, numerous problems arise during the recession period (summer–autumn). During the last two decades, after favorable conditions had been confirmed through hydrogeological survey and feasibility studies, several newly constructed systems for artificial control of karst aquifers (mostly in Eastern Serbia) resulted in significantly improved water supply.     

Sources of water, travel times and protection areas for wells in semi-confined aquifers

This paper presents new findings in interpreting analytical solutions of steady radial flow to a well in a semi-confined aquifer (overlain by a phreatic aquifer and aquitard), and demonstrates that 95% of pumped water is derived from leakage water within a radius of 4 times the leakage factor. The travel times of the leakage water from the radii of influence to the well are usually much longer than those derived from the travel time criteria currently used to delineate the well protection areas. The delineation of well protection zones based on the travel time criteria will not properly protect the source of water to the well. Therefore, the percentage of leakage water to the well is used as a new criterion to define the well protection areas. Within each well protection area, the mean residence time is used as an indicator of the renewable period of the aquifer system. Leakage-rate weighted residence times are used to calculate the mean residence time. For the safety and sustainability of drinking water supplies, groundwater in the phreatic aquifer within the radius of influence should be protected.     

Pumping from unconfined aquifers of limited saturated thickness with reference to wellpoints and horizontal wells

Groundwater in unconfined aquifers of limited saturated thickness can be a valuable resource but frequently it is not developed because conventional boreholes are unsuitable. However, successful exploitation of shallow unconfined aquifers has been achieved using either a line of wellpoints or horizontal wells extending for more than 100 m. The flow processes by which wellpoints and horizontal wells collect water from unconfined aquifers are explored by developing conceptual and computational models. Several representative examples are considered and it is found that similar discharges occur if the wellpoints are closely spaced. The sensitivity of the yield to physical dimensions of the wells and aquifers is explored; the impact of alternative aquifer parameters is also examined. Results from these computational models are used to identify the causes of air entry into wellpoint systems; the prevention of air entry into horizontal wells is also considered. This evaluation demonstrates that wellpoint systems and horizontal wells can efficiently abstract water from unconfined aquifers of limited saturated thickness provided that precautions are taken to prevent air entry.     

Analysis of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) to characterize microbial communities in aquifers

This paper reviews published applications of lipid-based biochemical techniques for characterizing microbial communities in aquifers and other deep subsurface habitats. These techniques, such as phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, can provide information on a variety of microbial characteristics, such as biomass, physiology, taxonomic and functional identity, and overall community composition. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis of lipid data can relate spatial or temporal changes in microbial communities to environmental factors. The use of lipid-based techniques in the study of groundwater microbiology is advantageous because they do not require culturing and can provide quantitative data on entire communities. However, combined effects of physiological and phylogenetic changes on the lipid composition of a community can confound interpretation of the data, and many questions remain about the validity of various lipid techniques. Despite these caveats, lipid-based research has begun to show trends in community composition in contaminated and pristine aquifers that contribute to our understanding of groundwater microbial ecology and have potential for use in optimization of bioremediation of groundwater pollutants. Résumé Ce papier passe en revue les applications des techniques biochimiques basées sur les lipides pour caractériser les communautés microbiennes présentes dans les aquifères et dans les autres habitats souterrains profonds. Ces techniques, telles que l'analyse des acides gras phospholipidiques (PLFA), peuvent fournir des informations sur un ensemble de caractères microbiens, tels que la biomasse, la physiologie, l'identité taxonomique et fonctionnelle, et surtout la composition de la communauté. En outre, l'analyse statistique multivariée des données sur les lipides peut établir les liens entre des changements spatiaux ou temporels dans la communauté microbienne et des facteurs environnementaux. L'utilisation des techniques basées sur les lipides dans l'étude de la microbiologie des eaux souterraines est intéressante parce qu'elle ne nécessite pas de mise en culture et qu'elle peut fournir des données quantitatives sur les communautés dans leur ensemble. Toutefois, les effets combinés de changements physiologiques et phylogénétiques sur la composition d'une communauté peuvent brouiller l'interprétation des données; de nombreuses questions se posent sur la validité des différentes techniques lipidiques. Malgré ces oppositions, la recherche basée sur les lipides a commencé à montrer des tendances dans la composition des communautés dans les aquifères pollués et dans ceux non perturbés; ces résultats contribuent ainsi à notre compréhension de l'écologie microbienne des eaux souterraines et montrent qu'il existe un potentiel pour leur utilisation en vue d'une optimisation de la dépollution biologique des eaux souterraines. Resumen Se revisan distintas técnicas bioquímicas que se basan en el análisis de lípidos para caracterizar las comunidades microbianas en hábitats subsuperficiales, incluyendo acuíferos. Estas técnicas, entre las que se incluye el análisis de ácidos grasos fosfolípidos (PLFA), pueden proporcionar información sobre toda una serie de características de las comunidades microbianas, como su biomasa, fisiología, identidad taxonómica y funcional y composición. Además, el análisis estadístico multivariado de los datos de lípidos permite relacionar los cambios espaciales o temporales en las comunidades microbianas con factores ambientales. Las técnicas basadas en lípidos son muy útiles para el estudio microbiológico de las aguas subterráneas, puesto que no requieren cultivos y además proporcionan datos cuantitativos de comunidades completas. Sin embargo, la acción combinada de los cambios fisiológicos y filogenéticos en la composición de lípidos en una comunidad pueden confundir la interpretación de los datos, por lo existen muchas cuestiones abiertas respecto a la validez de algunas de estas técnicas. A pesar de estas dificultades, estas técnicas han permitido detectar diferentes tendencias en la composición de las comunidades en acuíferos con y sin contaminación, lo que contribuye a nuestro entendimiento de la ecología microbiana de los acuíferos. Este último aspecto tiene un uso potencial en la optimización de los métodos de biorremediación de acuíferos.     

The distribution of saline groundwater and its relation to the hydraulic conditions of aquifers and aquitards: examples from Israel

The effect of separation by aquitard layers on the distribution of saline groundwater in coastal aquifers has been demonstrated in two Israeli coastal aquifers: the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea aquifers. There is vertical separation in the Dead Sea area, even where the clayey aquitard layers are <1?m thick, exhibited by large differences in hydraulic head (2?C5?m), salinity (TDS of 50?C340?g/L) and chemical composition (e.g. Na/Cl range 0.28?C0.55). Similar features are found in the Mediterranean coastal aquifer, where the separating aquitard layers are thicker (??5?C10?m). Here, the different subaquifers host fresh and saline groundwater of different ages (tritium and ¹⁴C ages range from tens to thousands of years), as well as different chemical compositions. This high resolution of results can be obtained only by drilling without fluids; otherwise, the spatial information may lead to incorrect representation of the studied aquifer. This is especially important in saline systems where only partial flushing occurs and, thus, large variations in salinity and chemical composition are expected. The main factors controlling the salinity of groundwater in subaquifers in coastal aquifers are their connection to the sea or saline lakes, existence of brines, salinization and flushing rates, and separation by aquitard layers.     

溶井微污染水供水就地处理技术研究

溶井是西南岩溶区主要的分散式供水方式。本文在对典型地区溶井水污染特征分析基础上,通过对现有分散供水水处理工艺原理的分析,提出了溶井供水的水污染防治措施,并结合中试试验,对溶井快渗池的设计思路、设计参数、水处理工艺以及施工中的注意事项进行了详细说明。试验表明,溶井在采取水处理措施后,出水浊度均低于5度,微量有机物去除率大于35%,氨氮可削减60%以上,细菌总数最大可截留95%;溶井快渗池工艺在溶井水处理过程中不需要添加任何药剂,避免了混凝剂和消毒剂对水质产生的副作用和卫生问题,出水水质主要指标基本达到生活饮用水卫生标准。      

Optimal pumping from Palmela water supply wells (Portugal) using simulated annealing

Aquifer systems are an important part of an integrated water resources management plan as foreseen in the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (2000). The sustainable development of these systems demands the use of all available techniques capable of handling the multidisciplinary features of the problems involved. The formulation and resolution of an optimization model is described for a planning and management problem based on the Palmela aquifer (Portugal), developed to supply a given number of demand centres. This problem is solved using one of the latest optimization techniques, the simulated annealing heuristic method, designed to find the optimal solutions while avoiding falling into local optimums. The solution obtained, providing the wells location and the corresponding pumped flows to supply each centre, are analysed taking into account the objective function components and the constraints. It was found that the operation cost is the biggest share of the final cost, and the choice of wells is greatly affected by this fact. Another conclusion is that the solution takes advantage of the economies of scale, that is, it points toward drilling a large capacity well even if this increases the investment cost, rather than drilling several wells, which together will increase the operation costs.     

Arsenic variability and groundwater age in three water supply wells in southeast New Hampshire

Three wells in New Hampshire were sampled bimonthly over three years to evaluate the temporal variability of arsenic concentrations and groundwater age.All samples had measurable concentrations of arsenic throughout the entire sampling period and concentrations in individual wells had a mean variation of more than 7 μg/L.The time series data from this sampling effort showed that arsenic concentrations ranged from a median of 4 μg/L in a glacial aquifer well(SGW-65)to medians of 19μg/L and37 μg/L in wells(SGW-93 and KFW-87)screened in the bedrock aquifer,respectively.These high arsenic concentrations were associated with the consistently high pH(median≥8)and low dissolved oxygen(median0.1 mg/L)in the bedrock aquifer wells,which is typical of fractured crystalline bedrock aquifers in New Hampshire.Groundwater from the glacial aquifer often has high dissolved oxygen,but in this case was consistently low.The pH also is generally acidic in the glacial aquifer but in this case was slightly alkaline(median = 7.5).Also,sorption sites may be more abundant in glacial aquifer deposits than in fractured bedrock which may contribute to lower arsenic concentrations.Mean groundwater ages were less than 50 years old in all three wells and correlated with conservative tracer concentrations,such as chloride;however,mean age was not directly correlated with arsenic concentrations.Arsenic concentrations at KFW-87 did correlate with water levels,in addition,there was a seasonal pattern,which suggests that either the timing of or multiple sampling efforts may be important to define the full range of arsenic concentrations in domestic bedrock wells.Since geochemically reduced conditions and alkaline pHs are common to both bedrock and glacial aquifer wells in this study,groundwater age correlates less strongly with arsenic concentrations than geochemical conditions.There also is evidence of direct hydraulic connection between the glacial and bedrock aquifers,which can influence arsenic concentrations.Correlations between arsenic concentrations and the age of the old fraction of water in SGW-65 and the age of the young fraction of water in SGW-93 suggest that water in the two aquifers may be mixing or at least some of the deeper,older water captured by the glacial aquifer well may be from a similar source as the shallow young groundwater from the bedrock aquifer.The contrast in arsenic concentrations in the two aquifers may be because of increased adsorption capacity of glacio-fluvial sediments,which can limit contaminants more than fractured rock.In addition,this study illustrates that long residence times are not necessary to achieve more geochemically evolved conditions such as high pH and reduced conditions as is typically found with older water in other regions.     

Optimized NMR spectroscopic strategy to characterize water dynamics in soil samples

¹H wideline NMR spectra of soil samples offer the possibility to analyze soil material based on their proton mobility. Care has to be taken to remove unwanted signal contributions from the probe background. We demonstrate that unstructured wideline spectra can be analyzed quantitatively by a combination of a Gaussian line for rigid and a Lorentzian line for mobile protons. This is used to study effects of hydrogen-bonded water networks upon heat treatment for a series of different soil samples with varying water content as a contribution to study physical aging of soil organic matter (SOM). Results are combined with ¹H projections from ¹³C 2D WISE (wideline separation) experiments representing solely the broad Gaussian line. Furthermore, for the first time applied to soils, ¹H structural information from soil samples is obtained from 2D PMLG phase modulated Lee-Goldburg measurements under magic angle spinning (MAS). Low water contents improve the resolution of main functional groups significantly.     

A simulation‐optimization model to control seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers using abstraction/recharge wells

Seawater intrusion is one of the most serious environmental problems in many coastal regions all over the world. Mixing a small quantity of seawater with groundwater makes it unsuitable for use and can result in abandonment of aquifers. Therefore, seawater intrusion should be prevented or at least controlled to protect groundwater resources. This paper presents development and application of a simulation‐optimization model to control seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers using different management scenarios; abstraction of brackish water, recharge of freshwater, and combination of abstraction and recharge. The model is based on the integration of a genetic algorithm optimisation technique and a coupled transient density‐dependent finite element model. The objectives of the management scenarios include determination of the optimal depth, location and abstraction/recharge rates for the wells to minimize the total costs for construction and operation as well as salt concentrations in the aquifer. The developed model is applied to analyze the control of seawater intrusion in a hypothetical confined coastal aquifer. The efficiencies of the three management scenarios are examined and compared. The results show that combination of abstraction and recharge wells is significantly better than using abstraction wells or recharge wells alone as it gives the least cost and least salt concentration in the aquifer. The results from this study would be useful in designing the system of abstraction/recharge wells to control seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers and can be applied in areas where there is a risk of seawater intrusion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effectiveness of geophysical surveys for water wells relocation in overexploited aquifers (the example of Maggiore and Traversola Valleys,Northwestern Italy)

Aquifer overexploitation is a common problem in drinking water management. This will become more and more important given the general reduction of water resources. To overcome overexploitation, one of the most adopted solutions is the relocation of extraction wells. To establish the positions of new wells, a precise knowledge of the hydrogeological setting is required. Specific surveys are therefore necessary to obtain information over wide investigation zones. Geophysical methods, particularly electromagnetic and electrical, can be useful with this aim. In the present paper a case history on the combined use of Electric Resistivity Tomography and Time Domain Electromagnetic soundings is reported. Surveys have been performed within the Maggiore and Traversola Valleys, to investigate the uppermost part of the Quaternary deposits, hosting the near surface aquifer. The electromagnetic data have been inverted with a spatially constrained approach by assuming a quasi 1D model of the subsurface. Geophysical surveys allowed for depicting the depth and lateral continuity of the supposed aquifer level in the surveyed area up to a depth of about 200 m and proposing potential positions for well relocation.     

Groundwater quality model with applications to various aquifers

A finite element model was developed in order to solve for both regional groundwater flow and conservative solute transport in porous medium. The model was applied to a 55-sq-km groundwater basin in the Ruehen region of Germany using a network of 1450 elements and 780 nodes. This model was used in simulating a contaminant plume done through injection. Similarly, the model was applied to a 4750-sq-km portion in the eastern Nile Delta aquifer in Egypt. The model was applied to this portion of the delta using a network of 543 elements and 310 nodes with the main objective of simulating the problem of salt water intrusion.     

关于“内在水”补给土壤水的假设与初证

本文提出了关于土壤水产生的新假设——“内在水出渗补给说”,即认为土壤水不仅来源于当地大气降水和地表水的入渗,而且还可能来源于“内在水”的“出渗”;同时指出了土壤水在热动力驱动下,随季节温度变化的特征,并通过分析现有的实测资料,初步验证了提出假设的可信性。在结论与展望部分,论述了如果内在水出渗说成立将会具有的重大理论和实际意义,并提出深化研究的必要性和主要研究内容。     

Estimation of the depth to the fresh-water/salt-water interface from vertical head gradients in wells in coastal and island aquifers

 An accurate estimate of the depth to the theoretical interface between fresh, water and salt water is critical to estimates of well yields in coastal and island aquifers. The Ghyben–Herzberg relation, which is commonly used to estimate interface depth, can greatly underestimate or overestimate the fresh-water thickness, because it assumes no vertical head gradients and no vertical flow. Estimation of the interface depth needs to consider the vertical head gradients and aquifer anisotropy that may be present. This paper presents a method to calculate vertical head gradients using water-level measurements made during drilling of a partially penetrating well; the gradient is then used to estimate interface depth. Application of the method to a numerically simulated fresh-water/salt-water system shows that the method is most accurate when the gradient is measured in a deeply penetrating well. Even using a shallow well, the method more accurately estimates the interface position than does the Ghyben–Herzberg relation where substantial vertical head gradients exist. Application of the method to field data shows that drilling, collection methods of water-level data, and aquifer inhomogeneities can cause difficulties, but the effects of these difficulties can be minimized. Received, April 1997 · Revised, January 1998 · Accepted, January 1998     

水平井降水技术在热力隧道暗挖工程中的应用

在北京地区,我们首次成功地采用水平辐射井技术对双榆树热力隧道暗挖段进行地下降水。利用甲方的两处隧道工作竖井和另制作的一口大直径竖井,共施工水平孔３０眼,总长度达１５００ｍ,降水控制条带状隧道长度为３１０ｍ。开挖证实,降水效果显著,在地面以下降低地下水位的该项技术取得了明显的社会和经济效益。     

Factors affecting CO2 storage capacity and efficiency with water withdrawal in shallow saline aquifers

Carbon sequestration in shallow aquifers can be facilitated by water withdrawal. The factors that optimize the injection/withdrawal balance to minimize potential environmental impacts have been studied, including reservoir size, well pattern, injection rate, reservoir heterogeneity, anisotropy ratio, and permeability sequence. The effects of these factors on CO₂ storage capacity and efficiency were studied using a compositional simulator Computer Modeling Group-General Equation of State Model, which modeled features including residual gas trapping, CO₂ solubility, and mineralization reactions. Two terms, storage efficiency and CO₂ relative breakthrough time, were introduced to better describe the problem. The simulation results show that simultaneous water withdrawal during CO₂ injection greatly improves CO₂ storage capacity and efficiency. A certain degree of heterogeneity or anisotropy benefits CO₂ storage. A high injection rate favors storage capacity, but reduces the storage efficiency and CO₂ breakthrough time, which in turn limits the total amount of CO₂ injected.     

Vulnerability of farm water supply systems to volcanic ash fall

Agriculture is critically dependent on continuity of water quality and quantity. It is well-established that even small quantities of volcanic ash can disrupt municipal water supplies, with known impacts to quality including: acidification, increases in turbidity and ionic concentrations. In addition, delivery systems may be blocked or damaged by hard and abrasive suspended ash and related ash-cleanup operations place extra stress on water reserves. The aim of this study was to characterise the key areas of vulnerability of farm water supplies to volcanic ashfall, and to identify management recommendations to reduce these. From literature review and case studies of farms impacted by the 1991 Pinatubo (Philippines) and 1991 Hudson (Chile) eruptions, key issues were: sedimentation of irrigation ditches and drinking water ponds, turbidity induced abrasion of sprinkler nozzles and water pumps, and damage to electric pumps (by ash on air-intakes). Building on this, we characterised the water-use regimes and water supply system vulnerability of eight case-study farms from across the North Island, New Zealand. From this, we propose an index system to evaluate the vulnerability of farm water supply systems. The key contributors to the vulnerability index include: water source, storage capacity, reliance on electricity, independence/interconnectedness of system elements, volume of water use and other load factors. These allow identification of key strategies for mitigating water supply vulnerability during prevention, preparation, response and recovery phases of a volcanic eruption.     

三维直流电阻率法在水源井探测中的应用研究

水是人类生存不可缺少的重要资源,也是制约区域经济发展的瓶颈.研究区域的主要供水层为灰岩裂隙水,利用直流电阻率法寻找地下水资源,布置了2个测站,共长610 m,借助网络并行电法仪器设备WBD-GD采集数据,运用三维反演软件立体成像,根据实际需求选取了6个不同深度的水平切片,立体确定了水源井的大体位置,即既确定了水源井的平面位置,还确定了水源井的合理深度,后经验证效果显著,为山区石料厂的生产及生活提供了保障.