Time variyng groundwater flux measurement using a single well tracer technique

Poster (2013, April 24)

Contaminant mass discharge measurements are often performed at given times or integrated over a certain period of time, using active or passive sampling techniques. One problem arising is that such ... [more ▼]

Contaminant mass discharge measurements are often performed at given times or integrated over a certain period of time, using active or passive sampling techniques. One problem arising is that such measurements may not be representative of the temporal dynamics of the mass discharge variations. These variations can be caused by fluctuations in contaminant concentrations or, more frequently, by changes in the groundwater fluxes. Pollutant mass fluxes are typically estimated through a combination of solute concentrations and groundwater fluxes measured across a control plane made of several multi-level wells. Accurate measurements of local transient Darcy fluxes have been recognized as the weakest points in most of the developed techniques for groundwater contaminant mass flux measurements. The main objective here is to extend the FVPDM technique for temporal monitoring of groundwater fluxes and to demonstrate its ability to be used in combination with passive sampling devices for measurement of contaminant mass fluxes in groundwater. The Finite Volume Point Dilution Method (FVPDM) is a single well tracer technique for the measurement of local groundwater fluxes based on the continuous injection of tracer at very low injection rate (Brouyère et al. 2008). These developments are based on the application of the adapted technique on a case study in a fractured granitic aquifer in Ploemeur (France). This application investigates transient groundwater fluxes that are controlled by pumping in a well nearby the tested piezometers. Long monitoring time series have been recorded under these controlled conditions of transient groundwater flow. Results show the high sensivity of the FVPDM technique to small variations in groundwater flow velocities and its aptitude for long term monitoring of groundwater fluxes. The comparison between the results of FVPDM and classical point dilution tests performed in same conditions shows close correlation. Interpretation of FVPDM tests in transient conditions have been developed together with an evaluation of the uncertainties that can happen if the frequency of the groundwater flow variations is high. The tests carried on the Ploemeur site also illustrate the first ever application of the FVPDM technique between a double-packer system used for the investigation of a defined layer of an aquifer. This innovative application of the FVPDM using packers opens concrete perspectives for investigation of vertical heterogeneities of groundwater fluxes across a well. [less ▲]

Diffuse urban and industrial groundwater pollution with metallic trace elements A comparison between affected and unaffected areas

Poster (2013, April 22)

For metalic trace elements, spatially distributed background concentrations will be defined as a function of geological and hydrogeological context and considering the impact of diffuse pollution.

Coupling heat and salt tracer experiment for the estimation of heat transfer and solute transport parameters

Conference (2013, April 22)

Geothermal energy is a promising source of energy in the context of sustainable development. Therefore, very low enthalpy geothermal systems (open or closed) are increasingly considered for heating or ... [more ▼]

Geothermal energy is a promising source of energy in the context of sustainable development. Therefore, very low enthalpy geothermal systems (open or closed) are increasingly considered for heating or cooling houses and offices using groundwater energy. However, prior to the development of such systems, a feasibility study and an impact study of the system on groundwater ressources are required. Thereliability of such studies is highly dependent on the quality of the estimation of heat transfer parameters. This highlights the necessity of estimating properly such parameters. The objective of this study is to combine the use of heat and salt tracers to estimate simultaneously heat transfer and solute transport parameters in an alluvial aquifer. Additionally, coupling heat and salt tracing experiments is particularly useful for comparing heat transfer and solute transport processes occurring in the subsurface. An experimental field site, located near Liege (Belgium), is equipped with 21 piezometers drilled in the alluvial deposits of the Meuse River. These alluvial deposits are composed of a loess layer (3 m) overlying a sand and gravel layer which constitutes the alluvial aquifer (7 m). The coupled tracing experiment consists in injecting simultaneously heated water and salt in a piezometer and monitoring the evolution of groundwater temperature and salt concentration in a series of control panels set perpendicularly to groundwater flow. This coupled tracing experiment is then simulated using a numerical model. The estimation of heat transfer and solute transport parameters is obtained by calibrating this numerical model using inversion tools. The present study proposes a methodology coupling heat and salt tracing experiment for estimating heat transfer parameters at the field scale. Furthermore, this coupled tracing experiment shows that the comportment of heat and solute in the subsurface presents key differences. [less ▲]

Is it worth protecting groundwater from diffuse pollution with agri-environmental schemes? A hydro-economic modeling approach Journal of Environmental Management

in Journal of Environmental Management (2013)

In Europe, 30% of groundwater bodies are considered to be at risk of not achieving the Water Framework Directive (WFD) ‘good status’ objective by 2015, and 45% are in doubt of doing so. Diffuse ... [more ▼]

In Europe, 30% of groundwater bodies are considered to be at risk of not achieving the Water Framework Directive (WFD) ‘good status’ objective by 2015, and 45% are in doubt of doing so. Diffuse agricultural pollution is one of the main pressures affecting groundwater bodies. To tackle this problem, the WFD requires Member States to design and implement cost-effective programs of measures to achieve the ‘good status’ objective by 2027 at the latest. Hitherto, action plans have mainly consisted of promoting the adoption of Agri- Environmental Schemes (AES). This raises a number of questions concerning the effectiveness of such schemes for improving groundwater status, and the economic implications of their implementation. We propose a hydro-economic model that combines a hydrogeological model to simulate groundwater quality evolution with agronomic and economic components to assess the expected costs, effectiveness, and benefits of AES implementation. This hydro-economic model can be used to identify cost-effective AES combinations at groundwater-body scale and to show the benefits to be expected from the resulting improvement in groundwater quality. The model is applied here to a rural area encompassing the Hesbaye aquifer, a large chalk aquifer which supplies about 230,000 inhabitants in the city of Liege (Belgium) and is severely contaminated by agricultural nitrates. We show that the time frame within which improvements in the Hesbaye groundwater quality can be expected may be much longer than that required by the WFD. Current WFD programs based on AES may be inappropriate for achieving the ‘good status’ objective in the most productive agricultural areas, in particular because these schemes are insufficiently attractive. Achieving ‘good status’ by 2027 would demand a substantial change in the design of AES, involving costs that may not be offset by benefits in the case of chalk aquifers with long renewal times. [less ▲]

An object-oriented hydrogeological data model for groundwater projects

in Environmental Modelling & Software (2013)

Geological and hydrogeological data are expensive to obtain in the field but are crucial for specific hydrogeological studies, from hydrogeological water balances to groundwater flow modelling and ... [more ▼]

Geological and hydrogeological data are expensive to obtain in the field but are crucial for specific hydrogeological studies, from hydrogeological water balances to groundwater flow modelling and contaminant transport, or for more integrated environmental investigations where groundwater plays a role. In this context, hydrogeological data are collected, transformed and exchanged at different scales, from local to international levels and between numerous institutions ranging from environmental consulting companies to the national and international environmental administrations. To guarantee that these exchanges are possible and meaningful, a clear structure and meta-information on applied hydrogeological data models is required. To make one step towards seamless management of groundwater projects, a new hydrogeological data model has been developed: Hg2O. It is described using object-oriented paradigms and it follows the recommendations of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/TC211), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and the European Geospatial Information Working Group. Hydrogeological features are organized in packages of spatial feature datasets. The observations and measurements related to these features are organized in a seperate package. A particular focus is on specialized hydrogeological field experiments such as hydraulic and tracer tests. Two first implementations in the proprietary desktop ArcGIS environment and in the open-source web-based Web2GIS platform are presented, focusing on their respective standards support. [less ▲]

Modélisation régionale des eaux souterraines dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre de la Directive Cadre sur l’Eau : exemple du projet Synclin’Eau

Conference (2012, October 10)

Interactions between the Meuse River and its heterogeneous alluvial deposits at a contaminated brownfield

Conference (2012, June 08)

Flux-based Risk Assessement of the impact of Contaminants on Water resources and ECOsystems

Report (2012)

Modeling climate change impacts on groundwater resources using transient stochastic climatic scenarios

in Water Resources Research (2011), 47

Several studies have highlighted the potential negative impact of climate change on groundwater reserves but additional work is required to help water managers to plan for future changes. In particular ... [more ▼]

Several studies have highlighted the potential negative impact of climate change on groundwater reserves but additional work is required to help water managers to plan for future changes. In particular, existing studies provide projections for a stationary climate representative of the end of the century, although information is demanded for the near-future. Such time-slice experiments fail to account for the transient nature of climatic changes over the century. Moreover, uncertainty linked to natural climate variability is not explicitly considered in previous studies. In this study, we substantially improve upon the state-of-the-art by using a sophisticated transient weather generator (WG) in combination with an integrated surface-subsurface hydrological model (Geer basin, Belgium) developed with the finite element modelling software 'HydroGeoSphere'. This version of the WG enables the stochastic generation of large numbers of equiprobable climatic time series, representing transient climate change, and used to assess impacts in a probabilistic way. For the Geer basin, 30 equiprobable climate change scenarios from 2010 to 2085 have been generated for each of 6 different RCMs. Results show that although the 95% confidence intervals calculated around projected groundwater levels remain large, the climate change signal becomes stronger than that of natural climate variability by 2085. Additionally, the WG ability to simulate transient climate change enabled the assessment of the likely timescale and associated uncertainty of a specific impact, providing managers with additional information when planning further investment. This methodology constitutes a real improvement in the field of groundwater projections under climate change conditions. [less ▲]

Assessing the impacts of technical uncertainty on coupled surface/subsurface flow model predictions using a complex synthetic case

Poster (2011, September)

According to the EU Water Framework Directive, Member States have to manage surface water and groundwater at the water body scale and in an integrated way. Flow and transport models constitute useful ... [more ▼]

According to the EU Water Framework Directive, Member States have to manage surface water and groundwater at the water body scale and in an integrated way. Flow and transport models constitute useful management tools in this context since they can predict system responses to future stresses. However, numerical modelling at such a scale faces specific issues linked to (1) the representation of the geological and hydrogeological complexity, (2) the uneven level of characterisation knowledge, (3) the representativity of measured parameters and variables in the field, and (4) the CPU time needed for solving the numerical problem. Assumptions and simplifications made for dealing with these issues can lead to a series of models differing by their complexity and by the reliability of their predictions. Consequently, modellers have to find a compromise between complexity and reliability. The main objective of this research is to estimate the impacts of technical uncertainty, which is the uncertainty related to the numerical implementation, on groundwater flow model predictions. To reach that objective, the methodology consists in comparing reference predictions (hydraulic heads and flow rates) of a complex and close to reality synthetic case with the predictions provided by a series of simplified models (coarse spatial discretisation, coarse time discretisation, simplified law in the unsaturated zone). The synthetic case reflects the main characteristics found in groundwater bodies of South Belgium (Condroz region of Wallonia), characterised by a succession of limestone synclines and sandstone anticlines. The numerical model is developed with the fully-integrated surface/subsurface flow and transport code HydroGeoSphere using a mesh refined along the surface water network (153027 nodes and 269872 elements). A 5-year reference transient simulation, with daily stress factors is performed. The simulated hydraulic heads and flow rates constitute the reference observations and predictions for the comparison with the simplified models. The simplified models tested differ by their horizontal (500 m vs. 1000 m element size) and vertical (8 layers vs. 3 layers) spatial discretisations, their time discretisation (daily vs. monthly stress factors), and the type of constitutive law used for simulating the unsaturated flow (linear vs. van Genuchten). The models are run with the same parameter values than those used in the reference model to evaluate the deterioration in model predictions due to technical uncertainty. Additionally, some of the models are calibrated with the inverse modelling code PEST to distinguish how far a model calibration can possibly compensate for technical uncertainty. Then, predictions from each simplified model are compared with the reference predictions of the synthetic case. Then, the simplified models are ranked using several model performance criteria. Results of this research provide guidelines for the numerical implementation of groundwater flow models at the water body scale with respect to specific groundwater management objectives. [less ▲]