Abstract. Groundwater borne contaminants such as e.g., nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and pesticides impact the biological quality of lakes. The sources of pollution can, however, be difficult to identify due to high heterogeneity in groundwater flow patterns. This study presents a novel approach for fast hydrological surveys of small groundwater-fed lakes using multiple groundwater-borne tracers. Water samples were collected from groundwater wells installed every 50 m within 5–45 m from the shore and were analysed for tracer concentrations of CDOM, DOC, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), 𝛿18O isotopes and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) components derived from parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Based on tracer concentrations and degradation rates, the maximum WRT was estimated to 2 years. Isolation of groundwater recharge areas were based on 𝛿18O measurements and sites with high a degree of recharge was isolated using PARAFAC component C4. Groundwater discharge sites and the fractions of water delivered from the sites were isolated with the Community Assembly via Trait Selection model (CATS) for WRTs between 0.25 and 2 years. The identified recharge sites corresponded to areas adjacent to drainage channels and a cluster analysis of component C4 further identified five sites which showed a tendency of high groundwater recharge rates. Isolated groundwater discharge sites were located in the eastern part of the lake and a single site in the southern part. Observations from the eastern part of the lake revealed an impermeable clay layer that promotes discharge during short precipitation events, which would be difficult to identify using traditional hydrological methods. High tracer concentrations in the southern part in relation to lake concentrations showed that only a smaller fraction of water could originate from this area, thereby confirming the model results. The methodology used can be applied to smaller lakes yielding results within a short time frame with information related to the WRT of the lake.
Catchment tracers reveal discharge, recharge and sources of groundwater-borne pollutants in a novel lake modelling approach
