The impact of cattle pasturing on groundwater quality in bedrock aquifers having minimal overburden

The assurance of drinking water supply is one of the biggest emerging global challenges, especially in urban areas. In this respect, groundwater and its management in the urban environment are gaining importance. This paper presents the modeling of nitrogen load from the leaky sewer system and from agriculture and the impact of this pressure on the groundwater quality (nitrate concentration) in the urban aquifer located beneath the City of Ljubljana. The estimated total nitrogen load in the model area of 58 km2 is 334 ton/year, 38% arising from the leaky sewer system and 62% from agriculture. This load was used as input into the groundwater solute transport model to simulate the distribution of nitrate concentration in the aquifer. The modeled nitrate concentrations at the observation locations were found to be on average slightly lower (2.7 mg/L) than observed, and in general reflected the observed contamination pattern. The ability of the presented model to relate and quantify the impact of pressures from different contamination sources on groundwater quality can be beneficially used for the planning and optimization of groundwater management measures for the improvement of groundwater quality.

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Physicochemical indicators of the influence of a lined municipal landfill on groundwater quality: a case study from Poland

Environmental Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s12665-021-09743-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (13) ◽

Author(s):

Grzegorz Przydatek ◽

Włodzimierz Kanownik

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Chemical Constituents ◽

The European Union ◽

Soil Medium ◽

Detailed Statistical Analysis ◽

Pollutant Migration ◽

Leachate Water ◽

The Impact ◽

Carbon Concentrations

AbstractThe paper aims to determine the most significant physicochemical indicators of the effects that a lined landfill in southern Poland has had on groundwater quality. The results of the tests of groundwater and leachate water from the landfill for the period 2009 to 2016 were subjected to a detailed statistical analysis based on the 10 physicochemical parameters. A factor analysis was conducted considering the European Union and national requirements for landfills using analytical and statistical tools. The leachate contamination indicators from a landfill were analysed to reveal their interaction with the groundwater. The assessment indicated that there was an elevated and statistically significantly higher electrical conductivity and copper and total organic carbon concentrations in groundwater hydraulically downgradient of the landfill. The assessment also indicated that there were significant differences in the correlations between chemical parameters downgradient of the landfill and that there was a trend of increasing concentrations of some chemical constituents in groundwater. The adverse effects of the landfill were due to the deposited amount of waste exceeding 10 Mg per day. The impact was noticeable despite low and decreasing concentrations of heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) in the leachate. The deterioration of the chemical state of the groundwater in the landfill vicinity could result in the extended time of pollutant migration or mass transport in the irrigated soil medium due to the limited efficiency of the leachate intake system or sealing screen after more than 20 years of landfill operation.

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Nitrate transport in the chalk vadose zone in in Picardy (France)

Geological Society London Special Publications ◽

10.1144/sp517-2020-164 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. SP517-2020-164

Author(s):

N. Surdyk ◽

L. Gourcy ◽

V. Bault ◽

N. Baran

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Vadose Zone ◽

Nitrate Concentration ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Nitrate Transport ◽

Transport Time ◽

Major Question ◽

Noticeable Effect ◽

Fertiliser Application ◽

The Impact

AbstractSince the 1980s, nitrate has been shown to be present in soils and the vadose zone of various types of geological materials years after fertiliser application. In chalk where the vadose zone is thick, nitrate storage can be considerable and its transport time toward groundwater can be lengthy.In this context, evaluation of the impact of changes in agricultural practices on groundwater quality remains a major question. Improvement of groundwater quality can in certain cases be greatly delayed after the implementation of environmental agricultural practices.The principal objective of this study is to improve our knowledge of when changes in agricultural practices will have a noticeable effect on groundwater quality.To meet this objective, nitrate concentration profiles were performed in agricultural plots in Picardy (France). A crop marker event was used to calculate the transport velocity of water and associated solutes. This method is useful when other tracers (as tritium or chlorine) cannot be used. Estimated velocities range from 0.51 to 0.54 m/year; these values are similar to those described in similar chalk aquifers.

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Assessing the impact of leachate plumes on groundwater quality in the Etueffont landfill (Belfort, France)

Environmental Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s12665-016-5725-z ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 75 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Elise Grisey ◽

Lotfi Aleya

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

The Impact

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Impact of climate change on groundwater point discharge: backflooding of karstic springs (Loiret, France)

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-8-2235-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 2235-2262

Author(s):

E. Joigneaux ◽

P. Albéric ◽

H. Pauwels ◽

C. Pagé ◽

L. Terray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Surface Water ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Weather Type ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

The Impact ◽

Large Scale Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract. Under certain hydrological conditions it is possible for spring flow in karst systems to be reversed. When this occurs, the resulting invasion by surface water, i.e. the backflooding, represents a serious threat to groundwater quality because the surface water could well be contaminated. Here we examine the possible impact of future climate change on the occurrences of backflooding in a specific karst system, having first established the occurrence of such events in the selected study area over the past 40 yr. It would appear that backflooding has been more frequent since the 1980s, and that it is apparently linked to river flow variability on the pluri-annual scale. The avenue that we adopt here for studying recent and future variations of these events is based on a downscaling algorithm relating large-scale atmospheric circulation to local precipitation spatial patterns. The large-scale atmospheric circulation is viewed as a set of quasi-stationary and recurrent states, called weather types, and its variability as the transition between them. Based on a set of climate model projections, simulated changes in weather-type occurrence for the end of the century suggests that backflooding events can be expected to decrease in 2075–2099. If such is the case, then the potential risk for groundwater quality in the area will be greatly reduced compared to the current situation. Finally, our results also show the potential interest of the weather-type based downscaling approach for examining the impact of climate change on hydrological systems.

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THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON GROUNDWATER QUALITY: A CRITICAL STUDY BASED ON NAVITHANVELI DS DIVISION IN AMPARA DISTRICT IN SRI LANKA

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v5.i9.2017.2195 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (9) ◽

pp. 36-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nijamir K ◽

Kaleel MIM

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Groundwater Contamination ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Phosphate Concentration ◽

Critical Study ◽

Wet Season ◽

Traditional Agricultural Practices ◽

The Impact ◽

Chemical Testing

This study was proceeded to identify the groundwater contamination based on the primary and secondary objectives. The primary objective is “identifying the groundwater contamination by the utilization of agro-chemicals, and the secondary objectives are “finding out Nitrate and Phosphate concentration to identify the Groundwater quality depletion by the chemical testing, identifying adverse agricultural practices and to make awareness among agro-chemical users by inducing traditional agricultural practices and recommend favorable solutions to the groundwater oriented problems in study area. For this study five parameters such as NO3, PO4, EC, pH and Turbidity were analyzed. All the parameters varied from wet season to dry season. Particularly, NO3 and PO4 concentration has deviated from both seasons. The conclusion of the study is that the application of the agrochemicals has impacted on the groundwater quality drastically.

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A comparison of emerging contaminant fingerprinting techniques to assess the impact of human wastewater on karst groundwater quality

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7645 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luka Vucinic ◽

David O'Connell ◽

Donata Dubber ◽

Patrice Behan ◽

Quentin Crowley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Karst Aquifer ◽

Domestic Wastewater ◽

Wastewater Effluent ◽

Chemical Pollution ◽

Karst Aquifers ◽

Karst Springs ◽

Aquifer Systems ◽

Pollution Impacts ◽

The Impact

<p>Lowland karst aquifers in Ireland are extremely complex to understand and are considered to be highly vulnerable to pollution (e.g. low-lying karst catchments exhibit a lot of surface water &#8211; groundwater interactions which makes them very susceptible to direct contamination). These aquifers are impacted by multiple contamination sources on land (in particular, rural sources from agriculture and on-site domestic wastewater effluent) which makes their protection and management challenging. Human wastewater effluent is identified as significant threat to groundwater quality in such lowland Irish karst environments, since approximately one-third of the population in Ireland is relying on decentralized wastewater treatment systems for the treatment of domestic wastewater. However, it is difficult to distinguish between human wastewater effluent and agricultural pollution impacts on karst aquifers using only traditional water quality parameters or any single environmental tracing method. Hence, the impact of microbial and chemical contaminants of human wastewater origin on groundwater quality must be assessed using a multiple-tracer approach, ideally targeting source-specific tracers. This paper presents an overview of the results obtained during the research conducted throughout the last several years at nine karst catchments in Ireland using a range of methodologies in order to determine and quantify domestic wastewater pollution impacts on karst springs. Microbial pollution was assessed using flow cytometric fingerprinting and faecal indicator bacteria, while chemical pollution impact assessment included the analysis of fluorescent whitening compounds (FWCs; well-known indicators of human contamination since their origin is mostly from laundry detergents), specific anion ratio signatures (Cl/Br), quantification and identification of microplastic particles using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and faecal sterol and stanol profiles and ratios. A thorough analysis of the results obtained using a multiple-tracer approach has been conducted and methodologies have been evaluated in terms of applicability and sensitivity in a range of different karst catchments. The ability of these methodologies and techniques to determine and quantify human faecal pollution impacts on karst springs will be discussed. The results show a significant correlation between microplastic particle counts and detected FWCs signals at different springs, which helps to understand the contribution of household-derived contaminants to this environmental problem. Moreover, our results indicate that faecal sterols and stanols can be useful faecal source tracking method in karst aquifer systems despite the fact that concentrations of sterols and stanols of interest were usually low which makes the interpretation of results challenging.</p>

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Effects of Baekje Weir Operation on the Stream–Aquifer Interaction in the Geum River Basin, South Korea

Water ◽

10.3390/w12112984 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 2984

Author(s):

Hyeonju Lee ◽

Min-Ho Koo ◽

Byong Wook Cho ◽

Yong Hwa Oh ◽

Yongje Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Groundwater Flow ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Flow System ◽

Natural Ecosystem ◽

Visual Modflow ◽

Ecosystem Recovery ◽

Groundwater Use ◽

Groundwater Flow System ◽

The Impact

Hydraulic structures have a significant impact on riverine environment, leading to changes in stream–aquifer interactions. In South Korea, 16 weirs were constructed in four major rivers, in 2012, to secure sufficient water resources, and some weirs operated periodically for natural ecosystem recovery from 2017. The changed groundwater flow system due to weir operation affected the groundwater level and quality, which also affected groundwater use. In this study, we analyzed the changes in the groundwater flow system near the Geum River during the Baekje weir operation using Visual MODFLOW Classic. Groundwater data from 34 observational wells were evaluated to analyze the impact of weir operation on stream–aquifer interactions. Accordingly, the groundwater discharge rates increased from 0.23 to 0.45 cm/day following the decrease in river levels owing to weir opening, while the hydrological condition changed from gaining to losing streams following weir closure. The variation in groundwater flow affected the groundwater quality during weir operation, changing the groundwater temperature and electrical conductivity (EC). Our results suggest that stream–aquifer interactions are significantly affected by weir operation, consequently, these repeated phenomena could influence the groundwater quality and groundwater use.

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Effect of Land Use Changes on Water Quality in an Ephemeral Coastal Plain: Khambhat City, Gujarat, India

Water ◽

10.3390/w11040724 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 724 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Pankaj Kumar ◽

Rajarshi Dasgupta ◽

Brian Johnson ◽

Chitresh Saraswat ◽

Mrittika Basu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Barren Land ◽

Bare Land ◽

The Impact ◽

Use Categories

Rapid changes in land use and land cover pattern have exerted an irreversible change on different natural resources, and water resources in particular, throughout the world. Khambhat City, located in the Western coastal plain of India, is witnessing a rapid expansion of human settlements, as well as agricultural and industrial activities. This development has led to a massive increase in groundwater use (the only source of potable water in the area), brought about significant changes to land management practices (e.g., increased fertilizer use), and resulted in much greater amounts of household and industrial waste. To better understand the impacts of this development on the local groundwater, this study investigated the relationship between groundwater quality change and land use change over the 2001–2011 period; a time during which rapid development occurred. Water quality measurements from 66 groundwater sampling wells were analyzed for the years 2001 and 2011, and two water quality indicators (NO3− and Cl− concentration) were mapped and correlated against the changes in land use. Our results indicated that the groundwater quality has deteriorated, with both nitrate (NO3−) and chloride (Cl−) levels being elevated significantly. Contour maps of NO3− and Cl− were compared with the land use maps for 2001 and 2011, respectively, to identify the impact of land use changes on water quality. Zonal statistics suggested that conversion from barren land to agricultural land had the most significant negative impact on water quality, demonstrating a positive correlation with accelerated levels of both NO3− and Cl−. The amount of influence of the different land use categories on NO3− increase was, in order, agriculture > bare land > lake > marshland > built-up > river. Whereas, for higher concentration of Cl− in the groundwater, the order of influence of the different land use categories was marshland > built-up > agriculture > bare land > lake > river. This study will help policy planners and decision makers to understand the trend of groundwater development and hence to take timely mitigation measures for its sustainable management.

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