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Berkeley Lab Study Provides New Insights Into Measuring Aquifer Recharge in Semi-Arid Regions3 min read

by Christina Procopiou on June 5, 2018

Environmental Remediation & Water Resources Program GC-Future Water Hydrogeology Department Publication Research Highlight Uncategorized

Heat map of the percentage contribution of vadose water to a floodplain aquifer studies near Rifle, Colorado, based on Strontium isotopic and concentration data from the vadose zone and groundwater. White circles represent locations of sampled monitoring wells used in the study.

Berkeley Lab researchers who study aquifer recharge and groundwater quality measured concentrations and isotopic composition of the trace element Strontium (Sr) in groundwater to evaluate how local topography affects the amount of groundwater recharge across a semi-dry riparian floodplain in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Their study location was the Rifle Site, one of 18 former uranium-mill tailings sites near Rifle, Colorado. The site became home to studies into groundwater remediation when Congress-ordered efforts to clean up the sedimentary contaminants known as U-mill tailings resulting from uranium mining concluded in the late 1990s.

The Rifle Site is now the subject of research related to the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area at Berkeley Lab. Staff scientist John Neil Christensen led a team to examine the connection between the unsaturated — or vadose — zone — and groundwater quality. They specifically looked at the groundwater recharge process, or the movement — or drainage — of water from land surface to the aquifer. Results of their research were published here. 

“The vadose zone is important not just to water quality but also to whether there will be sufficient amounts of available groundwater,” says Christensen. “We’re interested in learning how much water passes through the vadose zone so that we can understand the transfer of nutrients and contaminants between the earth’s surface and groundwater.

“The Rifle Site is not only relevant to our studies of groundwater because of the previous contamination from ore processing, its location in a semi-arid region also makes it an ideal testing ground for studying groundwater availability.”

Because the Rifle Site has been the subject of so much research, Christensen’s team had access to a number of groundwater monitoring wells for their research. “I was looking at porewater samples of groundwater from above the vadose zone taken from the wells,” he says. The team then estimated quantities of groundwater from the vadose zone to the aquifer at various spots across the site using a Sr mixing model between groundwater and vadose porewater to interpret the the variation of groundwater Sr isotopic composition as the variable contribution of vadose zone porewater.

“The Rifle Site is not only relevant to our studies of groundwater because of the previous contamination from ore processing, its location in a semi-arid region also makes it an ideal testing ground for studying groundwater availability.”

The vadose zone porewater contribution ranged from 0 percent to as much as 38 percent and appears to be distinguished by the site’s microtopography.  Slightly elevated areas of the site are associated with essentially zero recharge and hence relatively low rates of mobility of dissolved chemicals within the vadose zone.

Because total elevation across the Rifle Site varies minimally by an approximate 2.7 meters, lower-lying areas are the focus of drainage and greater amounts of recharge and, therefore, increased transfer of dissolved material to groundwater. The results of Christensen’s studies averaged over the site, and combined with average rainfall, suggest a water loss of 83 to 92 percent from the vadose zone due to evapotranspiration, resulting in an average estimated groundwater recharge rate of 2.5 to 5 cm per year.

This study provides a new set of tools for measuring the recharge of aquifers in semi-arid regions — both for groundwater resource management and evaluation of processes of vadose communication with groundwater both in terms of nutrients affecting biological activity and contaminants affecting water quality.               

News & Events

New EESA research explores impact of land-use policy on California’s terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas budget3 min read

January 12, 2021

The 28 million acres of natural and working lands across California provide a unique opportunity to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals through various land-use strategies, such as expanding urban forest areas or restoring woodlands. However, the need to mitigate wildfire severity is also a critical priority for California, and one that can increase emissions…

Impacts of Climate Change on Our Water and Energy Systems: It’s Complicated5 min read

January 11, 2021

As the planet continues to warm, the twin challenges of diminishing water supply and growing energy demand are intensifying. But because water and energy are inextricably linked, as we try to adapt to one challenge – say, by getting more water via desalination or water recycling – we may be worsening the other challenge by…

New Study: Are Drylands Getting Drier?1 min read

January 5, 2021

EESA visiting postdoctoral fellow Sha Zhou led a recent study exploring why climate models do not project drylands will become substantially drier with climate change as scientists have long believed. A paper published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change, “Soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands,” describes the importance of long-term changes…

Stunning Visuals Tell a Fluid Story of Water in the Upper Gunnison River Basin1 min read

December 23, 2020

As part of a DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI), Jeremy Snyder authored “Rocky Mountain Water: The stories of Natural, Impacted, and Managed water in the Upper Gunnison River Basin”. Using the ArcGIS StoryMaps platform and stunning visuals, the story focuses on the Colorado Upper Gunnison River Basin—home to the Watershed Function SFA’s study site, the…

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