Inicio  /  Water  /  Vol: 9 Núm: 8 Par: 0 (2017)  /  Artículo
ARTÍCULO
TITULO

Applications of Hydro-Chemical and Isotopic Tools to Improve Definitions of Groundwater Catchment Zones in a Karstic Aquifer: A Case Study

Alberto Jiménez-Madrid    
Silvino Castaño    
Iñaki Vadillo    
Carlos Martinez    
Francisco Carrasco    
Albert Soler    

Resumen

Some researchers have proposed the groundwater protection zone (GPZ) method as a methodological framework for defining safeguard zones of groundwater bodies. Its goal is to protect the quality of water intended for human consumption and to facilitate a common implementation of this method in all European Union member states. One of the criteria used to establish GPZs is to define contributing catchment areas (CCAs). This methodology has been applied to the Sierra de Cañete, a region comprising a carbonate aquifer in the province of Malaga, Spain. The tools used to define CCAs are hydro-chemical and isotopic characterizations, namely water isotopes (i.e., 2H, 18O and tritium) and the isotopes of dissolved sulfates (i.e., 34S and 18O). Traditionally, the Sierra de Cañete aquifer has been divided into six sectors. Hydro-chemical and isotopic characterization differentiated between two large areas in the carbonate aquifer. The southern part presents younger water that is the result of faster recharge and that shows a high level of karstification, while the northern area has a slower flow, and recharge is produced over several years. In addition, the northern part is hydraulically connected to an alluvial aquifer (i.e., Llanos de Almargen) that borders the Sierra de Cañete to the north. This aquifer has high levels of pollution due to agricultural and livestock activities carried out in the Llanos de Almargen area. This pollution is transmitted to the carbonate aquifer when groundwater depletion occurs. Therefore, the Sierra de Cañete GPZ needs to be extended to include the Llanos de Almargen aquifer.

Palabras claves

 Artículos similares

       
 
Xueying Zhang, Yue He, Lijun Tian, Hanxi Duan and Yifan Cao    
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding areas contain the largest number of glaciers outside the polar regions. The region affects downstream water supply and food security, thereby directly influencing one-third of the world?s population. The lakes in ... ver más
Revista: Water

 
Isabela Silveira Baptista, Maki Tsujimura and Yuichi Onda    
In this study, we applied a new methodology that utilized stable isotopic concentrations of water and SF6 concentrations of the air to investigate temporal variations in the spring water mean transit time (MTT) of a forested headwater catchment in Japan.... ver más
Revista: Water

 
Nikita Tananaev, Vladislav Isaev, Dmitry Sergeev, Pavel Kotov and Oleg Komarov    
Hydrochemical and geophysical data collected during a hydrological survey in September 2017, reveal patterns of small-scale hydrological connectivity in a small water track catchment in the north-European Arctic. The stable isotopic composition of water ... ver más
Revista: Hydrology

 
Limbikani C. Banda, Michael O. Rivett, Robert M. Kalin, Anold S. K. Zavison, Peaches Phiri, Geoffrey Chavula, Charles Kapachika, Sydney Kamtukule, Christina Fraser and Muthi Nhlema    
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is vital to the future of Malawi and motivates this study?s provision of the first stable isotope baseline characterization of the Shire River Basin (SRB). The SRB drains much of Southern Malawi and receives t... ver más
Revista: Water

 
Konstantin W. Scheihing, Claudio E. Moya, Ulrich Struck, Elisabeth Lictevout and Uwe Tröger    
A collection of 514 stable isotope water samples from the Atacama Desert is being reassessed geostatistically. The evaluation reveals that adjacent Andean catchments can exhibit distinct d18O and d2H value ranges in meteoric waters, despite similar sampl... ver más
Revista: Hydrology