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10:05
Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation
Published on: July 4, 2014
Predicting pesticide attenuation in a fractured aquifer using lumped-parameter models
1CRTE, CRP Henri Tudor, Technoport Schlassgoart 66, rue de Luxembourg, L-4002 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. Institute for Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Ground Water
|July 25, 2012
Summary
Fractured aquifers show varied water quality due to local fracture networks. A modified model using land use and residence time distribution helps assess pollution vulnerability and track pesticide trends in springs.
Area of Science:
- Hydrogeology
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Neighboring springs from fractured-rock aquifers exhibit significant variations in water quality and flow regimes.
- Local connectivity and fracture aperture size distribution influence these hydrological differences.
- Homogeneous equivalent parameters are not suitable for regional fractured aquifers, necessitating case-by-case pollution vulnerability assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a modified lumped-parameter model for estimating mean transit time.
- To incorporate land-use distribution into the model.
- To predict atrazine concentration evolution in springs within a fractured sandstone aquifer.
Main Methods:
- Modification of an exponential piston-flow model.
- Inclusion of land-use distribution data.
- Application to predict atrazine concentration in Luxembourg springs.
Main Results:
- Atrazine concentrations in Luxembourg springs had not decreased by 2009, despite a 2005 ban.
- Exponentially distributed residence times explain the persistence of atrazine.
- The model successfully predicted atrazine concentration evolution.
Conclusions:
- Groundwater residence time distribution models are effective for assessing pollution trends.
- The modified model aids in evaluating the impact of land use on water quality.
- This approach supports European Union guidelines for trend reversal assessments in groundwater management.
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