The Use of Environmental Isotopes on Groundwater Hydrology in the Selected Areas in Thailand
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Report No. IAEA - R - 4803-F TITLE The use of environmental isotopes on groundwater hydrology in the selected areas in Thailand FINAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 September 1987 - 30 April 1990 AUTHOR(S) Somkid Buapeng INSTITUTE Ground Water Division, Department of Minieral resources Bangkok/ Thailand INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY DATE November 1990 FINAL REPORT THE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISOTOPES ON GROUNDWATER HYDROLOGY IN THE SELEGTED AREAS IN THAILAND PREPARED BY SOMKID BUAPENG DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES BANGKOK, THAILAND AUGUST 1990 The Use of Environmental Isotopes on Groundwater Hydrology in the Selected Areas in Thailand (Research Contract NO. RB/4803/R1/R3) Submitted to International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna,Austria August,1990 CONTENTS Page Abstract i 1. Introduction 2. Hydrogeology 1 2.1 Lower Chao Phraya Basin 1 2.2 Upper Chao Phraya Basin 3 2.3 Hat Yai Basin 6 3. Environmental Isotopes Sampling 4. Results of Chemical Analyses 8 4.1 Lower Chao phraya Basin 9 4.2 Upper Chao Phraya Basin 9 4.3 Hat Yai Basin 9 5. Evaluation and Interpretation of Isotopic Data 5.1 Lower Chao Phraya Basin (Bangkok Metropolitan Area) Stable Isotopes 9 Tritium and Carbon-14 23 5.2 Upper Chao Phraya Basin Stable Isotopes 28 Tritium and Carbon-14 32 5.3 Hat Yai Basin Stable Isotopes 32 Tritium and Carbon-14 37 6. Conclusions 37 7. Acknowledgements 38 8. Personnel Engaged in Project 39 9. References 40 10. Annex 1 Well Location and Details in Bangkok Metropolitan Area for Environmental 55 Isotopes study Annex 2 Well Location and Details in Upper Chao Phraya Basin for Environmental 68 Isotopes study Annex 3 Well Location and Details in Hat Yai Basin for Environmental Isotopes study 74 The Use of Environmental Isotopes on Groundwater Hydrology in the Selected Areas in Thailand by Somkid Buapeng Abstract The use of environmental isotopes on groundwater hydrology studies in the Lower Chao Phraya Basin, Thailand has been carried out during the past few years. Special research has been concentrated in the Bangkok Metropolitan where extensive exploitation of groundwater resulted in drastic lowering piezometric level, increasing in salinities as well as land subsidence. Upper Chao Phraya and Hat Yai Basin were later included in the same programme. Considerable samples of both groundwater and surface water samples were collected for isotopic and chemical analysis. Isotopic results of 180, 2H, tritium and C-14 indicate the relative age and origin of groundwater in the areas. Flow dynamic of the different aquifers and saltwater intrusion in aquifers in Bangkok Metropolitan area were also interpreted. 1. Introduction The Department of Mineral Resources in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria conducted a project entitled "The Use of Environmental Isotopes on Groundwater Hydrology Studies in the Selected Areas in Thailand under the Research contract No. RB/4803/R1/R3. This research project was commenced in 1988 for a duration of two and a half years. The purposes of the research study are to use the environmental isotopes to determine the origin of groundwater and the dynamics of groundwater flow system in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Upper Chao Phraya and Hat Yai Basins (Figure 1). The progress report of this project has been published in June 1988. This final report of the project contains a summary of water sampling, evaluation and interpre- tation of the results from,chemical and isotope analyses- It is recommended to consider this report together with the progress report to get an overall idea on the research study project. 2. Hydrogeology 2.1 Lower Chao Phraya Basin (Bangkok Metropolitan Area) The Bangkok Metropolitan area situated on the flood plain and delta of the Chao Phraya River which traverses the Lower Central Plain of Thailand, which is also known as the Lower Chao Phraya Basin. It extends about 200 kilometers from the north to the south and about 175 kilometers from the west to the east. The plain is bounded on the west by the mountain ranges about 100 kilometers from the Chao Phraya River, on the east by mountainous areas about 75 kilometers from the river, on the south by the Gulf of Thailand and on the north by series of small hills which divide it from the Upper Central Plain. The principal area of the project is the Bangkok and vicinity area, which consists about 1,000 square kilometers. The basin has been planed off by past erosion into terraces that slope gently eastward and westward to the Chao Phraya River. The two distinguishable erosion surfaces in the basin are the younger terrace and alluvium. The topography of the basin is relatively flat with and elevation of 1 to 5 meters above mean sea level and a mean slope of less than 4 meters to 100 kilometers in the Bangkok lowland, and 15 meters with a mean slope of about 10 meters to 100 kilometers from the same datum at about 150 kilometers north. The Chao Phraya River has many tributaries flowing from the eastward slope of the mountain. Most of these streams are perennial. The drainage systems of the Pa Sak River, the Bang Pakong River, the Tha Chin River, and their tributaries are also included in the basin, making the total drainage area of about 55,000 square kilometers. CtiAO PHRAYA ?V) CHE THAILAND 0 EXPLANATION Boundarist of phyciographie provinces NORTHERN HIGHLANDS UPPER CENTRAL PLAIN LOWER CENTRAL PLAIN KHORAT PLATEAU EASTERN PROVINCES PENINSULA STUDY AREA -o? 03 _ -09 103 103 Eig. 1 : Location map of study areas. The mean annual rainfall is 1,190 mm in the Lower Central Plain and 1,477 mm in Bangkok. August and September have the highest rainfall. The mean annual flow in the Chao Phraya River is 920 mVsec.The average annual evapotranspiration is 970 mm. The geological formations involved in the trans- mission and confinement of water in Bangkok Metropolis are the basement complex and alluvial deposits. The alluvial deposits constitute of the principal aquifers in the study area. Figure 2 shows the hydrogeological conditions of the Lower Central Plain. The principal aquifers in the Bangkok Metropolitan area are unconsolidated deposits. Based on the data of electric logs and drilled logs, the unconsolidated deposits in the upper 600 m depth are subdivided into 8 principal artesian aquifers separated by thick confining clay or sandy clay layers (Figure 2). All eight principal aquifers, from top to bottom are : 1. Bangkok Aquifer ( 50 m zone) 2. Phra Pradaeng Aquifer (100 m zone) • 3. Nakhon Luang Aquifer (150 m zone) 4. Nonthaburi Aquifer (200 m zone) 5. Sam Khok Aquifer (300 m zone) 6. Phaya Thai Aquifer (350 m zone) 7. Thon Buri Aquifer (450 m zone) 8. Pak Nam Aquifer (550 m zone) 2.2 Upper Chao Phraya Basin The Upper Chao Phraya Basin, the depressed structural basin occupies an area of about 5,900 km^. it covers some parts of six provinces namely, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Kam- phaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Phichit and Nakhon Sawan. Mountain ranges that bounded its northern boundary are mostly formed by the Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary rocks. On the west is bounded by granitic rocks and Palaeozoic sediments. Its eastern escarpment comprises of Mesozoic sandstone as well as granitic belts of various ages. The southern part of the basin is limited by sequences of Devonian to Silurian metamorphic rocks. The main rivers in the basin are Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan which flow from north to south and come into concur- rence at Nakhon Sawan Province. The mean annual rainfall is 1,202 mm and the mean annual evapotranspiration is 887 mm. The Upper Chao Phraya Basin is geomorphologically a great dissected terrace over which flood plains of the Ping, Nan Rivers and their tributaries were formed. The alluvial sediments have been accumulated in the basin under the fluviatile environ- ment since Tertiary, forming the total thickness of about 250 meters. Geomorphologically, the bas;.n can be classified into 3 types namely, the Alluvium (Chao Phraya Aquifers), the Younger Terrace (Chiang Rai Aquifers) and the Older Terrace (Chiang Mai Aquifers) (Figure 3). 30- EXPLANATION I I Alluvial deposits Younger Terrace deposits Colluvial deposits Cavernous Limestone/Bedded Limestone Metasediments and metamorphic rocks Volcanic rocks/Granitic rocks N.. SINGBURI AYUTHAYA BANGKOK SAMUT PRAKAN Bid rocks I. BANGKOK AQUIFER 5. SAM KHOK AQUIFER Z. PHRA PRADAENG AQUIFER 6. PHAYA THAI AQUIFER 3. NAKHON LUANG AQUIFER 7. THON BURI AQUIFER 4. NONTHABURI AQUIFER 8. PAK NAM AQUIFER Fig. 2. Hydrogeological map and hydrogeological N-S profile of the Lower Central Plain. ^ r^.^ . r.^r^|A|<H0N SAV(,AN 1JBUNG BORAPHET/.— Kllom»»«rt Chao Phraya aquifers '-*—H Chiang Mai aquifers Chiang Rai aquifers Consolidated rocks Fig. 3. Hydrogeological map of the Upper Chao Phraya Basin. Aquifer System 1. Alluvium (Chao Phraya Aquifers) The formation is characterized by the forming of young alluvium and alluvial fans whcih occur in flood plain and meander belts as well as along the river courses. It is composed of well sorted young sediments such as sand, gravel, pebble, silt and clay being deposited along the meander belts of the Ping, Yom and Nan Rivers. The depth to the top of aquifer ranges from 10-30 meters. The considerable quantity of groundwater from 70-100 m /hr is very common. 2. Younger Terrace (Chiang Rai Aquifers) The low terrace deposits have been recognized by its relatively flat surface next to the rolling area of high terrace. Paddy land beyond the river courses are the indication where the low terrace can be found. The formation composes of thick sequence of clay with wide variety of clastic sediments and poorly sorted rock fragments. Its thickness rarely exceed 50 meters.