Bayesian Data Fusion for water table interpolation: incorporating a hydrogeological conceptual model in kriging

in Water Resources Research (2010), 46(8), 08532

The creation of a contour map of the water table in an unconfined aquifer based on head measurements is often the first step in any hydrogeological study. Geostatistical interpolation methods (e.g ... [more ▼]

The creation of a contour map of the water table in an unconfined aquifer based on head measurements is often the first step in any hydrogeological study. Geostatistical interpolation methods (e.g. kriging) may provide exact interpolated groundwater levels at the measurement locations, but often fail to represent the hydrogeological flow system. A physically based, numerical groundwater model with spatially variable parameters and inputs is more adequate in representing a flow system. Due to the difficulty in parameterization and solving the inverse problem however, an often considerable difference between calculated and observed heads will remain. In this study the water table interpolation methodology presented by Fasbender et al. (2008), in which the results of a kriging interpolation are combined with information from a drainage network and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), using the Bayesian Data Fusion framework (Bogaert and Fasbender, 2007), is extended to incorporate information from a tuned analytic element groundwater model. The resulting interpolation is exact at the measurement locations while the shape of the head contours is in accordance with the conceptual information incorporated in the groundwater flow model. The Bayesian Data Fusion methodology is applied to a regional, unconfined aquifer in Central Belgium. A cross-validation procedure shows that the predictive capability of the interpolation at unmeasured locations benefits from the Bayesian Data Fusion of the three data sources (kriging, DEM and groundwater model), compared to the individual data sources or any combination of two data sources. [less ▲]

Influence of natural attenuation and river fluctuations on benzene dispersion in an alluvial aquifer subject to strong interactions with surface water

in Schirmer, M.; Hoehn, E.; Vogt, T. (Eds.) Groundwater Quality Management in a Rapidly Changing World (GQ'2010) (2010, June)

A contaminated alluvial aquifer, in a former gasworks factory, discharging to an adjacent river was the object of field and laboratory investigations to assess pollutant attenuation and dispersion ... [more ▼]

A contaminated alluvial aquifer, in a former gasworks factory, discharging to an adjacent river was the object of field and laboratory investigations to assess pollutant attenuation and dispersion. Various organic and inorganic compounds were found in the aquifer in concentrations exceeding regulatory values, among them, benzene, which was presenting the major worry for off-site dispersion, mainly due to its mobility and high concentration, i.e. up to 750 mg L-1 in the source zone. However, benzene could never be detected near the river which is about 160 m downgradient the main source. Due to redox conditions of the aquifer, heavy metals were almost immobile, thus not posing a major risk of dispersion off-site the brownfield. Benzene concentrations together with redox conditions in the aquifer, suggested that benzene degradation was mainly occurring within 100 m distance from the contaminant source under anoxic conditions, and most probably with sulphate as main oxidant. A numerical groundwater flow and transport model, calibrated under transient conditions, was used to simulate benzene attenuation in the alluvial aquifer towards the Meuse River. The mean benzene degradation rate used in the model was quantified in situ along the groundwater flow path using compound-specific carbon isotope analysis (CSIA). The results of the solute transport simulations confirmed that benzene concentrations decreased almost five orders of magnitude 70 m downgradient the source. Simulated benzene concentrations were found to be below the detection limit in the zone adjacent to the river and consistent with the absence of benzene in downgradient piezometers located close to the river. In a transient model scenario including groundwater-surface water dynamics, benzene concentrations were observed to be inversely correlated to the river water levels, leading to the hypothesis that benzene dispersion is mainly controlled by natural attenuation and river fluctuations. [less ▲]

A regional flux-based risk assessment approach of contaminated sites on groundwater bodies

Poster (2010, April 22)

In the context of the water framework directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality in surface and groundwater bodies in the EU. One of the first steps is to evaluate the risk of ... [more ▼]

In the context of the water framework directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality in surface and groundwater bodies in the EU. One of the first steps is to evaluate the risk of contamination of these water resources, and particularly the risk posed by contaminated industrial sites. From the perspective of water resource management, each of these sites taken individually does not necessary constitute a major threat. However, in heavily industrialised and urbanised areas, the cumulative effect of multiple contaminant sources is likely to present a risk. In order to propose adequate but still economically reliable measures, the calculated risk should be based on a so-called megasite approaches using criteria reflecting the water quality deterioration, in a cumulative way, at the scale of the whole surface water or groundwater body. A GIS-based regional risk assessment approach is developed here for groundwater bodies using the SEQ-ESO currently used within the Walloon Region as indicator to reflect the quality status of the groundwater body. The approach is applied on the groundwater body RWM073 “Gravels and alluvial deposits of the Meuse river between Engis and Herstal”, identified at risk of not reaching a good quality status by 2015. The different steps of this methodology consist of an inventory of proved or potential contaminating industrial sites, a numerical modelling of pollutants behaviour at the scale of the groundwater body and the application of the SEQ-ESO that finally gives a global quality status of the whole groundwater body. This analysis also serves as basis for a socio-economic approach intending to provide indications on costs and benefits generated by total or partial remediation of the contaminated groundwater bodies according to the different management scenarios. [less ▲]

Etude de faisabilité du pompage dans l’aquifère alluvial de la Meuse et du Houiller pour le refroidissement d’un futur bâtiment de bureaux (SPF Finances, Liège)

Report (2010)

Regional transport modelling for nitrate trend assessment and forecasting in a chalk aquifer

in Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (2010), 118

Regional degradation of groundwater resources by nitrate has become one of the main challenges for water managers worldwide. Regulations have been defined to reverse observed nitrate trends in groundwater ... [more ▼]

Regional degradation of groundwater resources by nitrate has become one of the main challenges for water managers worldwide. Regulations have been defined to reverse observed nitrate trends in groundwater bodies, such as the Water Framework Directive and the Groundwater Daughter Directive in the European Union. In such a context, one of the main challenges remains to develop efficient approaches for groundwater quality assessment at regional scale, including quantitative numerical modelling, as a decision support for groundwater management. A new approach combining the use of environmental tracers and the innovative ‘Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell’ (HFEMC) modelling technique is developed to study and forecast the groundwater quality at the regional scale, with an application to a regional chalk aquifer in the Geer basin in Belgium. Tritium data and nitrate time series are used to produce a conceptual model for regional groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the combined unsaturated and saturated zones of the chalk aquifer. This shows that the spatial distribution of the contamination in the Geer basin is essentially linked to the hydrodynamic conditions prevailing in the basin, more precisely to groundwater age and mixing and not to the spatial patterns of land use or local hydrodispersive processes. A three-dimensional regional scale groundwater flow and solute transport model is developed. It is able to reproduce the spatial patterns of tritium and nitrate and the observed nitrate trends in the chalk aquifer and it is used to predict the evolution of nitrate concentrations in the basin. The modelling application shows that the global inertia of groundwater quality is strong in the basin and trend reversal is not expected to occur before the 2015 deadline fixed by the European Water Framework Directive. The expected time required for trend reversal ranges between 5 and more than 50 years, depending on the location in the basin and the expected reduction in nitrate application. To reach a good chemical status, nitrate concentrations in the infiltrating water should be reduced as soon as possible below 50mg/l; however, even in that case, more than 50 years is needed to fully reverse upward trends. [less ▲]

HydroCube: a new entity-relationship hydrogeological data model

in Hydrogeology Journal (2010), 18(8), 1953-1962

Managing, handling, and accessing hydrogeological information depend mainly on the applied hydrogeological data models, which differ between institutions and across countries. Growing interest in ... [more ▼]

Managing, handling, and accessing hydrogeological information depend mainly on the applied hydrogeological data models, which differ between institutions and across countries. Growing interest in hydrogeological information diffusion, combined with a need for information availability, require the convergence of hydrogeological data models to make hydrogeological information accessible to multiple users such as universities, administrations, water suppliers, and research organisations. Furthermore, because hydrogeological studies are complex, they require a large variety of high-quality hydrogeological data with appropriate metadata in clearly designed and coherent structures. A need therefore exist to develop and implement hydrogeological data models that cover, as much as possible, the full hydrogeological domain. To respond to these requirements, a new data model, called HydroCube, has been developed for the Walloon Region in Belgium. The HydroCube model presents an innovative holistic “project-based” approach, which covers a full set of hydrogeological concepts and features, allowing for effective hydrogeological project management. This approach enables to store data about the project localisation, hydrogeological equipment, related observations and measurements. In particular, the model focuses on specialized hydrogeological field experiments, such as pumping and tracer tests. This logical data model uses entity-relationship diagrams and it has been implemented in the MS Access environment as the HydroCube database. It has been additionally enriched with a fully functional user-interface. [less ▲]

Geospatial Information in Hydrogeological Studies

in Anderson, M. G. (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences (2010)

The purpose of this article is to make a review of hydrogeological information modeling objectives, techniques, and problems, and finally to propose a solution for data integration and transfer ... [more ▼]

The purpose of this article is to make a review of hydrogeological information modeling objectives, techniques, and problems, and finally to propose a solution for data integration and transfer. Hydrogeological data and information management is crucial for efficient integrated water resources administration, protection, and exploitation. To assure an effective management of groundwater resources, a close cooperation and information exchange between different actors at different levels is necessary. The information flux must be optimized between local producers and potential users of hydrogeological data: regional and national institutions, as well as international and transboundary analysts and managers. The paper format of representation and exchange of hydrogeological information has already been replaced by different digital forms. However, an enormous diversity in applied formats and representations makes hydrogeological information extremely difficult to transfer in an automatic way. If this transition is not effective, misinterpretations of hydrogeological data may appear. The proposed solution consists in creating a domain-specific standard for the hydrogeological information exchange, using recent geomatics advances, taking into consideration appropriate ISO/TC211 and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) geographic information standards. Such a new electronic carrier of hydrogeological information facilitates a dialogue between interested parties using web services and inbuilt exchange mechanisms, interdisciplinary collaboration, and international harmonization of environmental sciences. [less ▲]

The stratigraphical architecture of the Quaternary deposits as support for hydrogeological modelling of the central zone of Hanoi (Vietnam)

in Geologica Belgica (2010), 13(1-2), 77-90

The Quaternary deposits of the Hanoi area have been investigated in order to provide information required for the design of a groundwater-flow model. Limited sedimentological data exist from 32 ... [more ▼]

The Quaternary deposits of the Hanoi area have been investigated in order to provide information required for the design of a groundwater-flow model. Limited sedimentological data exist from 32 destructive drillings carried out previously in the study area. The data base contains hydrographical and hydrogeological observations, but few sedimentological details. This is in contrast with the more seaward regions of the area where the Holocene deposits of the Red River plain has previously been studied. However, a comparison of the results obtained in this study with the previous studies indicates that the Hanoi sediment succession developed in an incised valley under conditions of rapid relative sealevel rise until ca. 7-6 a cal BP. The succession consists initially of alluvial floodplain deposits conformably overlain by mud deposited at the head of an estuary which filled with continuing rapid sea-level rise. Once the relative sea-level rise stabilized, fluvial deposition prograded over the adjacent estuarine mud. The development of a groundwater-flow model requires knowledge of the three-dimensional distribution of the various deposits. Despite the paucity of information with respect to sediment description, a model of the entire Quaternary sequence is presented in several lithostratigraphic crosssections and a panel diagram. The latter forms the basis for the construction of a contour map of the base of the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, and for a sequence map of the Quaternary deposits in the study area. [less ▲]

Towards a better understanding of the Oulmes hydrogeological system (Mid-Atlas, Morocco)

in Environmental Earth Sciences (2010), 60(8), 1753-1769

Located in the Mid-Atlas (Morocco), the Oulmes plateau is famous for its mineral water springs “Sidi Ali” and “Lalla Haya” commercialised by the company “Les Eaux minérales d’Oulmès S.A”. Additionally ... [more ▼]

Located in the Mid-Atlas (Morocco), the Oulmes plateau is famous for its mineral water springs “Sidi Ali” and “Lalla Haya” commercialised by the company “Les Eaux minérales d’Oulmès S.A”. Additionally, groundwater of the Oulmes plateau is intensively exploited for irrigation. The objective of this study, essentially performed from data collected during isotopic (summer 2004) and piezometric and hydrogeochemical field campaigns (spring 2007), is to improve the understanding of the Oulmes hydrogeological system. Analyses and interpretation of these data lead to the statement that this system is constituted by a main deep aquifer of large extension and by minor aquifers in a perched position. However, these aquifers interact enough to be in total equilibrium during the cold and wet period. As highlighted by isotopes, the origin of groundwater is mainly infiltration water except a small part of old groundwater with dissolved gas rising up from the granite through the schists. [less ▲]

Carte hydrogéologique de Henri-Chapelle - Raeren 43/1-2, Petergensfeld - Lammersdorf 43/3-4, Gemmenich - Botzelaar 35/5-6, 1/25.000 : [notice explicative]

Book published by Service public de Wallonie, DGARNE - Actualisation partielle: déc. 2009 - Première édition : juin 2003 (2009)