XA9848323 - IAEA-TECDOC-1046 Application of isotope techniques to investigate groundwater pollution INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY 29-49 The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Isotope Hydrology Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramer Strasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria APPLICATION OF ISOTOPE TECHNIQUES TO INVESTIGATE GROUNDWATER POLLUTION IAEA, VIENNA, 1998 IAEA-TECDOC-1046 ISSN 1011-4289 ©IAEA, 1998 Printed by the IAEA in Austria October 1998 FOREWORD This publication is a compilation of scientific results from the Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Application of Isotope Techniques to Investigate Groundwater Pollution which was implemented from 1995 to 1997. The conclusions of the CRP were presented during the final Research Co-ordination Meeting held in Vienna from 2 to 5 December 1997 by scientists from the following participating Member States: Austria, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Senegal and the United Kingdom. The CRP was initiated during an IAEA consultants meeting conducted in December 1993 on Isotope Techniques in Groundwater Pollution Studies, which identified the major causes of pollution as the concentration of toxic substances, bacteria from sewage, nitrates, pesticides from agricultural practices and radioactive materials from industries, as well as salinization from surface and seawater. The CRP was implemented in recognition of the importance of protecting groundwater resources, and promoting the role of isotope techniques when integrated to classical hydrological methods to identify the sources and mechanisms by which pollution takes place. It consisted of investigations of various field scenarios where different sources of pollution are encountered, prioritizing urban groundwater pollution due to domestic waste and sewage disposal; landfill performance and hazard assessment; as well as seawater intrusion and pollution from agricultural practices. The results from this CRP are expected to find practical applications in tackling hydrological problems encountered in technical co-operation projects of the IAEA. This publication could also provide a contribution toward the continuing efforts of various sectors to investigate, mitigate and control the threat of groundwater pollution. The IAEA is grateful to J. Chilton (United Kingdom), B. Robinson (New Zealand) and Y. Travi (France) who reviewed papers for publication. J. Gerardo-Abaya of the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences, as the Scientific Secretary of the CRP, was responsible for the completion of this TECDOC. EDITORIAL NOTE In preparing this publication for press, staff of the IAEA have made up the pages from the original manuscripts as submitted by the authors. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the IAEA, the governments of the nominating Member States or the nominating organizations. Throughout the text names of Member States are retained as they were when the text was compiled. The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights. CONTENTS Summary 1 Analytical developments in the measurements of boron, nitrate, phosphate and sulphate isotopes and case examples of discrimination of nitrogen and sulphur sources in pollution studies 3 J. Aggarwal, D.S. Sheppard, B.W. Robinson Ground-water pollution determined by boron isotope systematics 17 A. Vengosh, Y. Kolodny, A.J. Spivack Nitrate pollution of a karstic groundwater system in Svaty Jan Pod Skalou, Czech Republic 39 F. Buzek, R. Kadlecovd, K. 2ak Nitrate pollution of groundwater around a sewage stabilization pond, Kerala, India 57 K. Vasu, A. ShahulHameed, K.T. Velayudhan, S. Jacob, M. Mathew Origin, process and migration of nitrate compounds in the aquifers of Dakar Region, Senegal 67 A.A. Tandia, C.B. Gaye, A. Faye The influence of brown coal exploitation in Poland on the groundwater pollution as determined by isotopic analyses of sulphate 81 S. Halas, A. Trembaczowski, W. Sofryk Fluoride contamination in the Lakes Region of the Ethiopian Rift: Origin, mechanism and evolution 95 Y. Travi, T. Chernet Application of isotope techniques to groundwater pollution research for Xiangshan uranium ore field, China 107 Liu Fulin, Liu Peilun, Zhu Chuande, Wu Xiaowei, Zeng Yinsheng Isotopic and chemical characteristics of groundwater in Beijing City 117 Wei Keqin, Lin Ruifen Origin of bank filtered groundwater resources covering the drinking water demand of Budapest, Hungary 133 /. Forizs, J. Dedk Application of isotope techniques to investigate groundwater pollution in India 167 K Shivanna, S. V. Navada, KM. Kulkarni, U.K. Sinha, S. Sharma The application of stable carbon isotope ratios as water quality indicators in coastal areas of Karachi, Pakistan 185 R.M. Oureshi, A. Mashiatullah, T. Javed, M.A. Tasneem, M.I. Sajjad, M. Saleem, S.H. Khan, S.H.N. Rizvi, S.A. Siddiqui, R. Oari Use of stable isotopes in the investigation of the effects of wastewater reuse on groundwater in Mexico 209 P.J. Chi!ton, M.E. Stuart, W.G. Darling The importance of tracer technology in combined borehole investigations 227 H. Zojer Application of radioisotope techniques to control flow process during artificial coastal aquifer recharge 235 F. Ardau, G. Barbieri, G. Barrocu, E. Pirastru Contaminant transport in aquifers: Improving the determination of model parameters 243 C.V.S. Sabino, R.M. Moreira, Z.I. Lula, Y. Chausson, W.F. Magalhaes, M.N. Vianna Participants in the Co-ordinated Research Project 261 SUMMARY The majority of the world's population relies on groundwater for drinking, agricultural or industrial requirements because it is widely available in good quality. However, in recent years, particularly with the advent of industrialization and population growth, the stresses on groundwater resources have increased. Current available water is only half of what it was some 30 years ago, and is projected by World Bank studies to drop by another half in the next 25 years. The problems associated with groundwater availability and deteriorating quality originates from intentional or inadvertent disposal of wastes in the ground. Tracing the source and movement of pollutants in a complex geological environment requires hydrological tools like isotopes. The Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Application of Isotope Techniques to Investigate Groundwater Pollution aimed to investigate by isotope techniques various sources of pollution and to develop methodologies to encourage sound scientific input into decision and policy making for water resource utilization. The CRP resulted in the completion of 16 investigations dealing with the more traditional isotopes of 18O, 2H, 3H, 13C, 14C as well 34 18 15 as with applications of S, O in SO4, N and B which to some extent were integrated with the classical hydrological tools of investigation. Isotopes of nitrogen, boron, sulphur and oxygen in dissolved sulphate were used in the CRP to distinguish pollutant sources and pathways. Nitrate-nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in an agricultural area were able to distinguish between fertilizer and waste as sources of pollutants. Several of the studies have indicated how important nitrate isotopes can be in densely populated urban areas, where there is increasing evidence of multiple sources of pollution and nitrate is one of the most widespread pollutants of groundwater. Sulphate oxygen and sulphur isotopes in river water enable discrimination between natural (geological, sea water, geothermal and volcanic) and anthropogenic sources such as fertilizers. The systematics of boron isotopes were well described with a good characterization of the isotope signatures of the sources. Because of its high solubility in aqueous solution and lack of effects from evaporation as well as oxidation-reduction reactions, boron can be used as a tracer in groundwater. Concentrations of boron in pristine groundwater are generally low while it is high in contaminant sources such as sea water and domestic waste. 1MI has demonstrated the efficiency of radiometric tracers for defining the hydrogeological characteristics and determining the effective velocity of the water during artificial recharge. The information derived from the investigation appears effective to control the evolution of a cone during artificial recharge of the aquifers. Field studies that included stable and radioactive isotopes have been very useful to evaluate lake water, groundwater relationships and the hydrological dynamics in investigating fluoride contamination. The component studies of the CRP have therefore broadly confirmed the use of isotope techniques in two main ways: (a) improving the understanding of groundwater flow systems; and (b) tracing the origin and pathways of a range of groundwater pollutants. The CRP indicated that the use of isotopic techniques is moving from the realm of academic, research-oriented studies to