Thesis (M.Sc. (Tech.) Earth Science)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed March 5, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-137)

This study explores the applicability of including groundwater recharge and water table variation as additional objective functions in a multi-objective optimization approach to design optimal groundwater monitoring networks. The study was conducted using the Ontario Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network wells in the Hamilton, Halton, and Credit Valley regions in southern Ontario. The Dual Entropy-Multiobjective Optimization (DEMO) model which has been demonstrated to be sufficiently robust for designing optimum hydrometric networks was used in these analyses. The importance of determining the applicability in using additional design objectives in DEMO, including groundwater recharge and groundwater table seasonal variation, is rooted in the limitations of groundwater data and the time required setting up the models. While recharge allows for the capturing of spatial variability of climate, geomorphology, and geology of the area, the groundwater table series reflect the temporal/seasonal variability. The two set of information are complementary and should provide additional information to the DEMO for optimal network design. Two sources of groundwater recharge data were examined and compared; the recharge provided by the local conservation authorities, calculated using both the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and Hydrological Simulation Program--Fortran (HSP--F), and the recharge calculated in situ using only PRMS. The entropy functions are used to identify optimal trade-offs between the maximum possible information content and the minimum shared information between each of the existing and potential monitoring wells. The additional objective functions are used here to quantify the hydrological characteristics of the vadose zone in the aquifer as well as the potential impacts of agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses of groundwater in the area, and thus provide more information for the optimization algorithm to use. Results show that including additional design objectives significantly increases the number of optimal network solutions and provides additional information for potential monitoring well locations. These results suggest that it is worthwhile to include recharge as a design objective if the data is available, and to include groundwater table variation for the design of monitoring wells for shallow groundwater system. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The study was conducted to monitor pesticide residues in groundwater of two agriculturally intensive regions of Alberta, to determine the occurrence of pesticide residues in soil and groundwater of an experimental plot in southern Alberta, and to investigate the influence of land management factors and soil depth on pesticide residues in soil. A total of 440 groundwater samples were collected in three years (2013-2015) and analyzed for the presence of 142 pesticides using Liquid-liquid Extraction (LLE) in combination with Gas Chromatography- Mass Selective Detector (GC-MSD) and Gas Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Ten herbicides, seven insecticides, and six fungicides were detected. Herbicides 2,4-D, MCPA, and clopyralid were the most frequently detected, and the only pesticides consistently detected every year in both regions. Pesticides were detected more frequently in summer and fall compared to spring. 4.5% of the samples were contaminated with more than one pesticides. No pesticides exceeded the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. Similarly, a total of 213 groundwater samples (December 2014-November 2015) and 61 soil samples (in December 2014) in duplicates were analysed from the experimental plots in Lethbridge. Soil samples were collected at various depths (0-75 cm) and analyzed for the presence of 130 pesticides. A linear mixed effect model was fitted to determine the effect of soil depth, cropping systems and manure amendments on pesticide concentration in soil. In groundwater, bentazone, 2,4-D, and MCPA occurred most frequently and pesticide detection frequency varied seasonally with greater detections in July and September compared to other months. 37 different pesticide compounds were detected, and DDT isomers, 2,4-D, difenoconazole, MCPA and trans-heptachlor epoxide accounted for 85% of all detections. p,p’-DDE, 2,4-D, p,p-DDT, difenoconazole and MCPA occurred throughout the soil column and all of these except p,p-DDT were detected in underlying groundwater. Bentazone was found in groundwater throughout the year but not in soil. A greater number and higher concentrations of pesticides were found in soil. However, not all of them leached to groundwater. Soil depth and cropping system were significantly associated with total pesticide and total DDT concentration in the soil. Manure amendments had no affect pesticide concentrations. / May 2017

<p>The aim of this study was to test whether one could use the same methods as used for sampling heavy metals and apply them to radioactive elements. Furthermore a sampling protocol was developed, the first of its kind, for the sampling of radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers. This was achieved by initially examining local as well as international manuals and methods. The aforementioned was done in conjunction with a literature review of the movement of radioactive elements in these fractured rock aquifers. Beaufort West was utilised as a study area and the geology, hydrogeology and topography was outlined. Background radioactivity was generally acceptable except for two samples which were anomalously high. Taking cognisance of the methods used, as well as those previously applied in the area and abroad, a sampling protocol for radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers was developed and attached as an appendix. In conclusion it was suggested that multiple methods be tested on one well in order to check whether similar results would occur. This would thus determine the best applicable methods. Also it was proposed that a new method, called DGT sampling, be applied in order to gain a time weighted average of the heavy metals and radioactive elements in groundwater. It could also be clearly seen, by comparing historical data and the current data, that the methods used for sampling heavy metal can be applied to radioactivity.</p>

The management of stormwater runoff is a particular challenge for communities in karst regions. Most guidelines for compliance with regulations for stormwater monitoring and mapping pertain to non-karst environments. It can be argued that effective stormwater management is even more essential to karst regions because stormwater receives little or no natural filtration as it is transferred through conduits in the subsurface and the buildup of pollutants underneath can be detrimental to community and environmental health if not effectively mitigated. Because of the limited resources available to determine how stormwater runoff carries potential pollutants across the surface before being transferred to the karst subsurface and then reentering back on the surface across the landscape, this study aims to use geographic information systems (GIS) to investigate this problem. The objectives of this study are twofold. The first objective is to understand the transport mechanisms for stormwater runoff and how the movement through karst systems differs from non-karst systems, especially in regards to the surface and subsurface interactions. The second objective is to develop a general procedure for predicting stormwater runoff pathways in karst regions using GIS technologies and spatial analysis techniques – including identifying which data and techniques are essential to analyze surface and subsurface processes - to improve stormwater monitoring effectiveness. The premise of this study is broken down into a conceptual model with three significant components: Surface Input (stormwater runoff on surface), Subsurface Transport (stormwater transport through subsurface), and Output to Surface (output of stormwater to the surface via springs). The first component utilizes Hydrological Analysis and Network Analysis techniques to determine stormwater runoff pathways from potential point-source pollutant sites across surface to injection points where runoff enters subsurface. The second component uses Spatial Interpolation Techniques and Hydrological Analysis to predict subsurface accumulation areas that collect runoff from injection points and subsurface conduit pathways to output locations. The third and final component examines the output of the runoff back to the surface and identifies the locations where stormwater runoff can be sampled. The analyses of the Surface Input component proved to be effective in predicting the behavior of stormwater runoff between pollutant sites and their corresponding injection points. The analyses of the Subsurface Transport captured the overall patterns in the inferred dye tracing pathways that were used as the control dataset. The Output to Surface established the linkages among RCRA sites, their corresponding injection points and ultimately their output springs. These findings are very useful in developing informed stormwater sampling strategies and plans. In future investigations, these results could be verified with stormwater sampling and additional dye tracings and can be improved in two ways: more complete datasets of all stormwater features in the area – especially springs and drywells, and a more extensive and equally distributed dataset for groundwater depths across the study area to create a more accurate interpolated potentiometric surface.

<p>The aim of this study was to test whether one could use the same methods as used for sampling heavy metals and apply them to radioactive elements. Furthermore a sampling protocol was developed, the first of its kind, for the sampling of radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers. This was achieved by initially examining local as well as international manuals and methods. The aforementioned was done in conjunction with a literature review of the movement of radioactive elements in these fractured rock aquifers. Beaufort West was utilised as a study area and the geology, hydrogeology and topography was outlined. Background radioactivity was generally acceptable except for two samples which were anomalously high. Taking cognisance of the methods used, as well as those previously applied in the area and abroad, a sampling protocol for radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers was developed and attached as an appendix. In conclusion it was suggested that multiple methods be tested on one well in order to check whether similar results would occur. This would thus determine the best applicable methods. Also it was proposed that a new method, called DGT sampling, be applied in order to gain a time weighted average of the heavy metals and radioactive elements in groundwater. It could also be clearly seen, by comparing historical data and the current data, that the methods used for sampling heavy metal can be applied to radioactivity.</p>

Orientador: Chang Hung Kiang / Banca: Paulo Milton Barbosa Landim / Banca: Alexandre Campane Vidal / Resumo: Esse trabalho apresenta os resultados obtidos com o monitoramento detalhado de nível d'água, realizado no período de 2002 a 2005 em poços no Aqüífero Rio Claro. Os problemas encontrados durante a coleta de dados dos poços de monitoramento foram solucionados por meio de programas desenvolvidos para este fim. Em seguida, os dados já tratados serviram à avaliação qualitativa dos fenômenos observados e comparados com aqueles encontrados na literatura. Por fim, foram aplicadas técnicas de análise de séries temporais (Análise de Fourier, Correlação Cruzada e Análise R/S) a esses dados, a fim de se verificar as periodicidades de alguns fenômenos naturais, como os ciclos sazonais e de maré terrestre, bem como estimar a relação temporal entre a pluviometria e a recarga, e avaliar o grau de persistência e auto-correlação das variações de nível d'água. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o monitoramento detalhado é capaz de fornecer informações que, além de contribuírem para um melhor conhecimento das características do aqüífero, podem auxiliar em processos de remediação, através da melhor caracterização da variação do nível d'água e seu conseqüente transporte vertical de contaminantes. / Abstract: This work presents the results of detailed water level monitoring in the course of 2002 to 2005 in monitoring in wells on Rio Claro Aquifer. Problems found during data aquisition were solved by specific programs developed for this purpose. Qualitative evaluation of observed phenomena was made, comparing it with those from literature and, at the end, methods to time-series analysis were applied on data (Fourier Analysis, Cross-Correlation and R/S Analysis), in order to verify the periodicities of natural phenomena, like those resulting from seasonal cycles and earth-tides, to estimate temporal relationship between rainfall and well recovering, and evaluate the persistence and degree of auto-correlation of water levels variations. The results shows that detailed monitoring process gives important information that leads to a better knowledge on the aquifer characteristics, and it can help remediation process through a better characterization of water level variations and its consequent vertical transport of contaminants. / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-08-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:27:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 carnierneto_d_me_rcla.pdf: 3759097 bytes, checksum: 779710eaadd918035376669c43711516 (MD5) / Esse trabalho apresenta os resultados obtidos com o monitoramento detalhado de nível d'água, realizado no período de 2002 a 2005 em poços no Aqüífero Rio Claro. Os problemas encontrados durante a coleta de dados dos poços de monitoramento foram solucionados por meio de programas desenvolvidos para este fim. Em seguida, os dados já tratados serviram à avaliação qualitativa dos fenômenos observados e comparados com aqueles encontrados na literatura. Por fim, foram aplicadas técnicas de análise de séries temporais (Análise de Fourier, Correlação Cruzada e Análise R/S) a esses dados, a fim de se verificar as periodicidades de alguns fenômenos naturais, como os ciclos sazonais e de maré terrestre, bem como estimar a relação temporal entre a pluviometria e a recarga, e avaliar o grau de persistência e auto-correlação das variações de nível d'água. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o monitoramento detalhado é capaz de fornecer informações que, além de contribuírem para um melhor conhecimento das características do aqüífero, podem auxiliar em processos de remediação, através da melhor caracterização da variação do nível d'água e seu conseqüente transporte vertical de contaminantes. / This work presents the results of detailed water level monitoring in the course of 2002 to 2005 in monitoring in wells on Rio Claro Aquifer. Problems found during data aquisition were solved by specific programs developed for this purpose. Qualitative evaluation of observed phenomena was made, comparing it with those from literature and, at the end, methods to time-series analysis were applied on data (Fourier Analysis, Cross-Correlation and R/S Analysis), in order to verify the periodicities of natural phenomena, like those resulting from seasonal cycles and earth-tides, to estimate temporal relationship between rainfall and well recovering, and evaluate the persistence and degree of auto-correlation of water levels variations. The results shows that detailed monitoring process gives important information that leads to a better knowledge on the aquifer characteristics, and it can help remediation process through a better characterization of water level variations and its consequent vertical transport of contaminants.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / The aim of this study was to test whether one could use the same methods as used for sampling heavy metals and apply them to radioactive elements. Furthermore a sampling protocol was developed, the first of its kind, for the sampling of radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers. This was achieved by initially examining local as well as international manuals and methods. The aforementioned was done in conjunction with a literature review of the movement of radioactive elements in these fractured rock aquifers. Beaufort West was utilised as a study area and the geology, hydrogeology and topography was outlined. Background radioactivity was generally acceptable except for two samples which were anomalously high. Taking cognisance of the methods used, as well as those previously applied in the area and abroad, a sampling protocol for radioactive elements in fractured rock aquifers was developed and attached as an appendix. In conclusion it was suggested that multiple methods be tested on one well in order to check whether similar results would occur. This would thus determine the best applicable methods. Also it was proposed that a new method, called DGT sampling, be applied in order to gain a time weighted average of the heavy metals and radioactive elements in groundwater. It could also be clearly seen, by comparing historical data and the current data, that the methods used for sampling heavy metal can be applied to radioactivity. / South Africa

Negli ultimi anni sono state pubblicate diverse normative, tra le quali ritroviamo la Decisione 2015/495 che ha emesso una lista di contaminanti con problematiche emergenti. Tra questi vi è il Triallate, erbicida pre-emergenza sul quale è stato basato questo progetto. In questo elaborato sono stati messi a confronto i risultati di uno studio triennale, il cui obiettivo era quello di monitorare le concentrazioni nelle acque di falda di due metaboliti del Triallate (DIPA e TCPSA), con i dati emersi dai modelli previsionali (FOCUS-Pearl) e verificare se tali dati erano concordi o se i valori della modellistica fornivano una tutela largamente protettiva nei confronti dell’ambiente, in sede di registrazione. / Recently, several regulations have been published, among which we find Decision 2015/495 which contains a list of contaminants with emerging problems. Among these we find Triallate, an herbicide on which this project was based. In this paper, the results of a three-year study on two metabolites of Triallate (DIPA and TCPSA) were compared with the data emerging from models (FOCUS-Pearl ). At the end we check if these data were in agreement or if the values ​​of the modeling provided a largely protective protection towards the environment.