Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Eberts, Sandra M.; Böhlke, John K.; Kauffman, Leon J.; Jurgens, Bryant C.

doi:10.1007/s10040-011-0810-6

Cited by 130 publications

(128 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Still, they constitute a physical framework to understand what and how generic features, such as geometry or boundary conditions, generate the RTD. They provide a link between observations and system's characteristics that can help in testing quickly different conceptual representations and help in understanding why real hydrologic systems deviate from reference simple ones (Eberts et al, 2012;Leray et al, 2012). Another…”

Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Systems presented in section 3 -and more generally, any system whose flow paths are analytically described -can be plugged together to generate composite RTDs. Examples of linear combinations include the exponential and dispersion models (Stolp et al, 2010), exponential and shape-free models (Goderniaux et al, 2013), two piston flow models (Eberts et al, 2012), exponential and piston-flow models (Eberts et al, 2012;Solomon et al, 2010), two exponential-piston-flow models (Green et al, 2014), and multiple dispersion models (Engdahl and Maxwell, 2014;Long and Putnam, 2009;McCallum et al, 2014).…”

Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a model that reproduces concentrations but does not adequately characterize the flow field will fail when used for prediction on other time scales -typically on lower time scales (Leray et al, 2012). Thus, the consistency of models is necessary but not sufficient (Eberts et al, 2012). The best example of this is the piston-flow model which is very often consistent but also mainly non-predictive.…”

Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Leray

Engdahl

Massoudieh

et al. 2016

Journal of Hydrology

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This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Steady-state analytical RTDs contaminant transport, and ecosystem preservation. Analytical solutions are often adopted as a model of the RTD and a broad spectrum of models from many disciplines has been applied. Although these solutions are typically reduced in dimensionality and limited in complexity, their ease of use makes them preferred tools, specifically for the interpretation of tracer data. Our review begins with the mechanistic basis for the governing equations, highlighting the physics for generating a RTD, and a catalog of analytical solutions follows. This catalog explains the geometry, boundary conditions and physical aspects of the hydrologic systems, as well as the sampling conditions, that altogether give rise to specific RTDs. The similarities between models are noted, as are the appropriate conditions for their applicability. The presentation of simple solutions is followed by a presentation of more complicated analytical models for RTDs, including serial and parallel combinations, lagged systems, and non-Fickian models. The conditions for the appropriate use of analytical solutions are discussed, and we close with some thoughts on potential applications, alternative approaches, and future directions for modeling hydrologic residence time.

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Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Steady-state Analytical Rtdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Leray

Engdahl

Massoudieh

et al. 2016

Journal of Hydrology

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“…Their applications are reported in numerous articles to estimate the evolution of groundwater quality at an aquifer outlet (Beltman et al 1996;Eberts et al 2012;Lerner and Papatolios 1993;Osenbrück et al 2006;Stewart and Loague 2004).…”

Section: Analytical Models Of Transfer Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The transfer function approach is noted as an alternative to numerical methods to model contaminant transfer in aquifers (Beltman et al 1996;Eberts et al 2012;Lerner and Papatolios 1993;Osenbrück et al 2006). This approach is based on the convolution integral that has been introduced in hydrogeology to describe the transfer of environmental tracers in aquifers (Maloszewski and Zuber 1982) and of solutes in the vadose zone (Jury 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing groundwater quality trends in pumping wells using spatially varying transfer functions

et al. 2015

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When implementing remediation programs to mitigate diffuse-source contamination of aquifers, tools are required to anticipate if the measures are sufficient to meet groundwater quality objectives and, if so, in what time frame. Transfer function methods are an attractive approach, as they are easier to implement than numerical groundwater models. However, transfer function approaches as commonly applied in environmental tracer studies are limited to a homogenous input of solute across the catchment area and a unique transfer compartment. The objective of this study was to develop and test an original approach suitable for the transfer of spatially varying inputs across multiple compartments (e.g. unsaturated and saturated zone). The method makes use of a double convolution equation accounting for transfer across two compartments separately. The modified transfer function approach was applied to the Wohlenschwil aquifer (Switzerland), using a formulation of the exponential model of solute transfer for application to subareas of aquifer catchments. A minimum of information was required: (1) delimitation of the capture zone of the outlet of interest; (2) spatial distribution of historical and future pollution input within the capture zone; (3) contribution of each subarea of the recharge zone to the flow at the outlet; (4) transfer functions of the pollutant in the aquifer. A good fit to historical nitrate concentrations at the pumping well was obtained. This suggests that the modified transfer function approach is suitable to explore the effect of environmental projects on groundwater concentration trends, especially at an early screening stage.

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Groundwater age distributions at a public drinking water supply well field derived from multiple age tracers (⁸⁵Kr, ³H/³He, and ³⁹Ar)

Visser

Broers

Purtschert

et al. 2013

Water Resources Research

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[1] Groundwater age is a key aspect of production well vulnerability. Public drinking water supply wells typically have long screens and are expected to produce a mixture of groundwater ages. The groundwater age distributions of seven production wells of the Holten well field (Netherlands) were estimated from tritium-helium ( 3 H/ 3 He), krypton-85 ( 85 Kr), and argon-39 ( 39 Ar), using a new application of a discrete age distribution model and existing mathematical models, by minimizing the uncertainty-weighted squared differences of modeled and measured tracer concentrations. The observed tracer concentrations fitted well to a 4-bin discrete age distribution model or a dispersion model with a fraction of old groundwater. Our results show that more than 75% of the water pumped by four shallow production wells has a groundwater age of less than 20 years and these wells are very vulnerable to recent surface contamination. More than 50% of the water pumped by three deep production wells is older than 60 years.3 H/ 3 He samples from short screened monitoring wells surrounding the well field constrained the age stratification in the aquifer. The discrepancy between the age stratification with depth and the groundwater age distribution of the production wells showed that the well field preferentially pumps from the shallow part of the aquifer. The discrete groundwater age distribution model appears to be a suitable approach in settings where the shape of the age distribution cannot be assumed to follow a simple mathematical model, such as a production well field where wells compete for capture area.

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Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Cited by 130 publications

References 54 publications

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Assessing groundwater quality trends in pumping wells using spatially varying transfer functions

Groundwater age distributions at a public drinking water supply well field derived from multiple age tracers (⁸⁵Kr, ³H/³He, and ³⁹Ar)

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Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Cited by 130 publications

References 54 publications

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Residence time distributions for hydrologic systems: Mechanistic foundations and steady-state analytical solutions

Assessing groundwater quality trends in pumping wells using spatially varying transfer functions

Groundwater age distributions at a public drinking water supply well field derived from multiple age tracers (85Kr, 3H/3He, and 39Ar)

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Product

Resources

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Groundwater age distributions at a public drinking water supply well field derived from multiple age tracers (⁸⁵Kr, ³H/³He, and ³⁹Ar)