Estimates of Residence Time and Related Variations in Quality of Ground Water Beneath Submarine Base Bangor and Vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington U.S
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Estimates of Residence Time and Related Variations in Quality of Ground Water Beneath Submarine Base Bangor and Vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4058 Port Gamble PUGET SOUND Kingston HOOD CANAL Delta Pier DABOB BAY Poulsbo LIBERT Y SUBASE BAY Bangor TOANDOS PENINSULA N COUNTY ERSO FFF JE COUNTY SAP KIT PO BAINBRIDGE RT ISLAND Silverdale DYES ORCHARD Seabeck INLET KITSAP PENINSULA Prepared in cooperation with Department of the Navy Engineering Field Activity, Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command science for a changing world Estimates of Residence Time and Related Variations in Quality of Ground Water Beneath Submarine Base Bangor and Vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington By S.E. Cox U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4058 Prepared in cooperation with the DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY ENGINEERING FIELD ACTIVITY, NORTHWEST NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND Tacoma, Washington 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GALE A. NORTON, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles G. Groat, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: Director, Washington Water Science Center U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Information Services 1201 Pacific Avenue – Suite 600 Building 810 Tacoma, Washington 98402 Box 25286, Federal Center http://wa.water.usgs.gov Denver, CO 80225-0286 Suggested citation: Cox, S.E., 2003, Estimates of residence time and related variations in quality of ground water beneath Submarine Base Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Water- Resources Investigations Report 03-4058, 52 p. CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Description of Study Area........................................................................................................................... 4 Well-Numbering System............................................................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................... 6 Background Concepts on Age-Dating of Ground Water ..................................................................................... 7 Tritium......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Chlorofluorocarbons ................................................................................................................................... 8 Carbon-14.................................................................................................................................................... 8 Hydrogeologic System ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Vashon Till Confining Unit ........................................................................................................................ 11 Vashon Aquifer ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Upper Confining Unit and Interbeds........................................................................................................... 12 Sea-Level Aquifer and Deep Aquifer ......................................................................................................... 13 Study Methods...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Sample Collection and Processing.............................................................................................................. 14 Sample Analysis.......................................................................................................................................... 17 Estimates of Residence Time and Variations in Quality of Ground Water ......................................................... 19 Ground-Water Age Classification Using Environmental Tracers .............................................................. 19 Tritium......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Chlorofluorocarbons ................................................................................................................................... 24 Carbon-14.................................................................................................................................................... 26 Variations in Ground-Water Quality........................................................................................................... 28 Ground-Water Chemistry............................................................................................................................ 29 Organic Carbon and Carbon Isotopes ......................................................................................................... 33 Changes in Ground-Water Chemistry Along Flow Paths........................................................................... 35 Geochemical Mass-Transfer Modeling of Carbon and Estimates of Ground-Water Residence Time....... 37 Conceptual Model of Ground-Water Evolution near SUBASE Bangor..................................................... 37 NETPATH Modeling of Ground-Water Residence Time .......................................................................... 39 Variations and Distribution of Carbon-14 Estimate of Ground-Water Residence Time............................ 41 Comparison of Estimates of Ground-Water Residence Times Based on Carbon-14 and Numerical Ground-Water Flow Modeling ..................................................................................... 43 Summary .............................................................................................................................................................. 47 References Cited .................................................................................................................................................. 48 Appendix A.Quality-assurance data for isotope analysis of ground-water samples from wells on SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington .......................................................... 53 Contents iii FIGURES Figure 1. Map showing location of the study area, SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington............................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Diagram showing well-numbering system used in Washington ....................................................... 6 Figure 3. Schematic diagram showing conceptual model of hydrogeologic units and ground-water flow in the vicinity of SUBASE Bangor, Kitsap County, Washington............................................. 10 Figure 4. Map showing location of wells sampled for physical properties, dissolved constituent concentrations, and isotopes used to estimate residence time of ground water, and conceptualized ground-water flow paths, SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington............................................................................................................... 15 Figure 5. Graph showing cumulative frequency distribution of tritium concentration in ground water, SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington...................................... 24 Figure 6. Graph showing comparison of stable isotope composition (deuterium and oxygen-18) of ground-water samples and of non-summer (fall-spring) precipitation at Victoria, British Columbia, and the relation with the Modern Global Meteoric Water Line of Rozanski and others (1993), SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington............... 29 Figure 7. Trilinear diagram showing distribution of major ions in ground water by hydrogeologic units and by ground-water age classification, SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington............................................................................................................... 30 Figure 8. Scatter plot showing comparison of molar concentrations of calcium, organic carbon, and bicarbonate by hydrogeologic units in ground water beneath SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington.......................................................................................... 32 Figure 9. Histogram showing distribution of dissolved organic carbon in ground water from hydrogeologic units, SUBASE Bangor and vicinity, Kitsap County, Washington........................... 34 Figure 10. Scatter plot showing relation between the value of delta carbon-13 and concentrations