Abstract
A significant proportion of the global water supply is ensured by karst aquifers. However, these are often highly vulnerable to contamination. A storm water tank located in the rural karst catchment area of the Gallusquelle spring (Swabian Alb, southwest Germany) about 9.1 km away was identified as a potential source of contamination. A tracer experiment was carried out in order to evaluate this hydraulic connection. For this, 2.5 kg of the fluorescence dye sulforhodamine G was injected directly at the spillway location.
The proposed hydraulic connectivity of the storm water tank to the Gallusquelle spring has been confirmed with this experiment. The maximum tracer velocity of 149 m h−1 highlights rapid groundwater flow through karst conduits. The low tracer mass recovery rate of 14.1% is an indication of a retention capacity along the flow path. This was confirmed by a release of withheld tracer triggered by a heavy storm event 16 days after the injection.
Zusammenfassung
Ein beträchtlicher Anteil der weltweiten Trinkwasserversorgung wird durch Karstgrundwasserleiter sichergestellt. Diese sind jedoch häufig anfällig gegenüber Kontaminationen. Im ländlichen Karsteinzugsgebiet der für die lokale Trinkwasserversorgung gefassten Gallusquelle (Schwäbische Alb) wurde ein Regenüberlaufbecken in ca. 9,1 km Entfernung als potentielle Kontaminationsquelle identifiziert. Zur Untersuchung dieser hydraulischen Anbindung wurde ein Tracerversuch durchgeführt. Die Eingabe von 2,5 kg des hier eingesetzten Fluoreszenzfarbstoffes Sulforhodamin G erfolgte direkt im Ablauf des Regenüberlaufbeckens.
Die vermutete hydraulische Anbindung des Regenüberlaufbeckens zur Gallusquelle wurde mit Hilfe des Versuches eindeutig bestätigt. Die Maximalgeschwindigkeit von 149 m h−1 hebt die schnellen Fließgeschwindigkeiten durch Karströhren hervor. Die geringe Wiederfindung des Tracers von 14,1 % ist andererseits ein Indiz für ein gewisses Retentionsvermögen entlang der Fließstrecke. Dies wurde durch einen erneuten Tracerdurchgang 16 Tage nach der Eingabe bestätigt, welches durch ein starkes Regenereignis hervorgerufen wurde.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Behrens, H., Reims, U., Dieter, H., Dietze, G., Eikmann, T., Grummt, T., Hanisch, H., Henseling, H., Käß, W., Kerndorff, H., Leibundgut, C., Müller-Wegener, U., Rönnefahrt, I., Scharenberg, B., Schleyer, R., Schloz, W., Tilkes, F.: Toxicological and ecotoxicological assessment of water tracers. Hydrogeol J 9, 321–325 (2001)
Birk, S., Geyer, T., Liedl, R., Sauter, M.: Process-based interpretation of tracer tests in carbonate aquifers. Ground Water 43, 381–388 (2005)
Büringer, H.: Stand der öffentlichen Abwasserentsorgung in Baden-Württemberg. Stat Monatsh Baden-Württemb 6, 40–44 (2015)
Davis, P.M., Atkinson, T.C., Wigley, T.M.L.: Longitudinal dispersion in natural channels: 2. The roles of shear flow dispersion and dead zones in the River Severn, UK. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 4, 355–371 (2000)
Field, M.S., Pinsky, P.F.: A two-region nonequilibrium model for solute transport in solution conduits in karstic aquifers. J Contam Hydrol 44, 329–351 (2000)
Geyer, T., Birk, S., Licha, T., Liedl, R., Sauter, M.: Multitracer test approach to characterize reactive transport in karst aquifers. Ground Water 45, 36–45 (2007)
Geyer, T., Birk, S., Liedl, R., Sauter, M.: Quantification of temporal distribution of recharge in karst systems from spring hydrographs. J Hydrol 348, 452–463 (2008)
Goldscheider, N.: A new quantitative interpretation of the long-tail and plateau-like breakthrough curves from tracer tests in the artesian karst aquifer of Stuttgart, Germany. Hydrogeol J 16, 1311–1317 (2008)
Heinz, B., Birk, S., Liedl, R., Geyer, T., Straub, K.L., Bester, K., Kappler, A.: Vulnerability of a karst spring to wastewater infiltration (Gallusquelle, Southwest Germany). Austrian J Earth Sci 99, 11–17 (2006)
Heinz, B., Birk, S., Liedl, R., Geyer, T., Straub, K.L., Andresen, J., Bester, K., Kappler, A.: Water quality deterioration at a karst spring (Gallusquelle, Germany) due to combined sewer overflow: Evidence of bacterial and micro-pollutant contamination. Environ Geol 57, 797–808 (2009)
Hillebrand, O., Nödler, K., Licha, T., Sauter, M., Geyer, T.: Identification of the attenuation potential of a karst aquifer by an artificial dualtracer experiment with caffeine. Water Res 46, 5381–5388 (2012)
Hillebrand, O., Nödler, K., Geyer, T., Licha, T.: Investigating the dynamics of two herbicides at a karst spring in Germany: Consequences for sustainable raw water management. Sci Total Environ 482–483, 193–200 (2014)
Hillebrand, O., Nödler, K., Sauter, M., Licha, T.: Multitracer experiment to evaluate the attenuation of selected organic micropollutants in a karst aquifer. Sci Total Environ 506–507, 338–343 (2015)
Jakowski, A.E., Ebhardt, G.: Geohydraulic parameters in hard rocks of SW-Germany determined by tracer tests. Tracer Hydrol 97, 415–421 (1997)
Käss, W.: Geohydrologische Markierungstechnik, 2nd edn. Gebrüder Bornträger, Berin – Stuttgart (2004)
Labat, D., Mangin, A.: Transfer function approach for artificial tracer test interpretation in karstic systems. J Hydrol 529, 866–871 (2015)
Leibundgut, C., Maloszewski, P., Külls, C.: Tracers in Hydrology. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK (2009)
LGL-BW (Landesamt für Geoinformation und Landentwicklung Baden-Württemberg): Geobasisdaten, www.lgl-bw.de, Az.: 2851.9-1/19, Accessed: August 14, 2015
Maloszewski, P., Zuber, A.: Influence of matrix diffusion and exchange reactions on radiocarbon ages in fissured carbonate aquifers. Water Resour Res 27, 1937–1945 (1991)
Merkel, P.: Karsthydrologische Untersuchungen im Lauchertgebiet (westl. Schwäbische Alb). Diplomarbeit. Universität Tübingen, Tübingen (1991)
Mohrlok, U.: Numerische Modellierung der Grundwasserströmung im Einzugsgebiet der Gallusquelle unter Festlegung eines Drainagesystems. Grundwasser 19(1), 73–85 (2014)
Mull, D.S., Liebermann, T.D., Smoot, J.L., Woosley, L.H.: Application of dye-tracing techniques for determining solute-transport characteristics of ground water in karst terranes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and USGS, Atlanta, Georgia (1988)
Organisation for Econimic Co-Operation and Development (OECD): Test No. 105: Water Solubility. In: OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, Section 1. OECD Publishing (1995)
Oehlmann, S., Geyer, T., Licha, T., Birk, S.: Influence of aquifer heterogeneity on karst hydraulics and catchment delineation employing distributive modeling approaches. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 17, 4729–4742 (2013)
Sauter, M.: Quantification and Forecasting of Regional Groundwater Flow and Transport in a Karst Aquifer (Gallusquelle, Malm, SW. Germany). Dissertation. Tübinger geowiss. Arb. C13, Institut und Museum für Geologie und Paläontologie der Universität Tübingen: Tübingen, 150 p. (1992)
Schiperski, F., Zirlewagen, J., Hillebrand, O., Licha, T., Scheytt, T.: Preliminary results on the dynamics of particles and their size distribution at a karst spring during a snowmelt event. J Hydrol 524, 326–332 (2015a)
Schiperski, F., Zirlewagen, J., Hillebrand, O., Nödler, K., Licha, T., Scheytt, T.: Relationship between organic micropollutants and hydro-sedimentary processes at a karst spring in south-west Germany. Sci Total Environ 532, 360–367 (2015b)
Schiperski, F., Zirlewagen, J., Scheytt, T.: Transport and attenuation of particles of different density and surface charge: A karst aquifer field study. Environ Sci Technol 50, 8028–8035 (2016)
Simunek, J., Van Genuchten, M.T., Sejna, M., Toride, N., Leij, F.: The STANMOD computer software for evaluating solute transport in porous media using analytical solutions of convection–dispersion equation. Versions 1.0 and 2.0. U. S. Salinity Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Riverside, California (1999)
Toride, N., Leij, F.J., van Genuchten, M.T.: The CXTFIT Code for Estimating Transport Parameters from Laboratory or Field Tracer Experiments. Version 2.1. Research Report No. 137. U. S. Salinity Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Riverside, California (1999)
Vasudevan, D., Fimmen, R.L., Francisco, A.B.: Tracer-grade rhodamine WT: Structure of constituent isomers and their sorption behavior. Environ Sci Technol 35, 4089–4096 (2001)
Zirlewagen, J., Licha, T., Schiperski, F., Nödler, K., Scheytt, T.: Use of two artificial sweeteners, cyclamate and acesulfame, to identify and quantify wastewater contributions in a karst spring. Sci Total Environ 547, 356–365 (2016)
Zwahlen, F.: COST Action 620 – Vulnerability and risk mapping for the protection of carbonate (karst) aquifers. European Commission, Luxemburg (2003)
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the staff of the water supply company Hermentingen for their assistance during the fieldwork.
Funding
This study was partially funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Sustainable Water Management NaWaM FONA RiSKWa funding program (Risikomanagement von Spurenstoffen und Krankheitserregern in ländlichen Karsteinzugsgebieten), No. 02WRS1277B.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tranter, M., Schiperski, F., Zirlewagen, J. et al. Hydraulic linkage of a storm water tank to a karst spring (Gallusquelle). Grundwasser 22, 55–62 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00767-016-0346-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00767-016-0346-8