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Modeling the Potential Impact of Seasonal and Inactive Multi-Aquifer Wells on Contaminant Movement to Public Water-Supply Wells†
Article first published online: 30 MAR 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00526.x
© 2011 American Water Resources Association. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA
Issue
JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association
Volume 47, Issue 3, pages 588–596, June 2011
Additional Information
How to Cite
Johnson, R.L., Clark, B.R., Landon, M.K., Kauffman, L.J. and Eberts, S.M. (2011), Modeling the Potential Impact of Seasonal and Inactive Multi-Aquifer Wells on Contaminant Movement to Public Water-Supply Wells. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 47: 588–596. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00526.x
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 1 JUN 2011
- Article first published online: 30 MAR 2011
- Received November 24, 2009; accepted January 12, 2011.
- Abstract
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Keywords:
- groundwater hydrology;
- simulation;
- drinking water;
- nonpoint source pollution;
- point source pollution;
- source water protection;
- water supply
Johnson, R.L., B.R. Clark, M.K. Landon, L.J. Kauffman, and S.M. Eberts, 2011. Modeling the Potential Impact of Seasonal and Inactive Multi-Aquifer Wells on Contaminant Movement to Public Water-Supply Wells. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(3):588-596. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00526.x
Abstract: Wells screened across multiple aquifers can provide pathways for the movement of surprisingly large volumes of groundwater to confined aquifers used for public water supply (PWS). Using a simple numerical model, we examine the impact of several pumping scenarios on leakage from an unconfined aquifer to a confined aquifer and conclude that a single inactive multi-aquifer well can contribute nearly 10% of total PWS well flow over a wide range of pumping rates. This leakage can occur even when the multi-aquifer well is more than a kilometer from the PWS well. The contribution from multi-aquifer wells may be greater under conditions where seasonal pumping (e.g., irrigation) creates large, widespread downward hydraulic gradients between aquifers. Under those conditions, water can continue to leak down a multi-aquifer well from an unconfined aquifer to a confined aquifer even when those multi-aquifer wells are actively pumped. An important implication is that, if an unconfined aquifer is contaminated, multi-aquifer wells can increase the vulnerability of a confined-aquifer PWS well.