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Temperature and Phosphates as Ground‐Water Tracers
Author(s) -
Sampayo F. F.,
Wilke H. R.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1963.tb01932.x
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , water flow , groundwater , phosphate , geology , soil science , chemistry , geotechnical engineering , aquifer , organic chemistry
This study was undertaken to determine the effect of recharging warm air conditioning and storm waters on ground‐water temperatures in the West Lafayette, Indiana area and to establish the direction of flow of the recharged water out of the recharge pit. During 1961–62 Purdue University has discharged approximately 4.0 MGD (million gallons per day) of water at an abandoned gravel pit south of the campus. This water had a temperature averaging 77° F and a phosphate content of about 4 ppm. In order to obtain the proposed objective, weekly temperature measurements were taken at selected points throughout the area involved in the study. Water samples were collected at some of these locations every two weeks. The samples were analyzed for phosphate content. The research program extended over a period of twelve months. The results obtained indicated that the influence of ground‐water recharge on ground‐water temperatures appeared to be localized to a small area surrounding the pit. No evidence was found to indicate that recharge at the pit was causing any increases of ground‐water temperatures for more than about 1,000 feet from the pit. Although the results of phosphate testing were not conclusive, they seemed to be in close agreement with the temperature measurements in indicating the direction and velocity of ground‐water flow. The direction of flow of the recharged water was found to be south toward the Wabash River, but could only be established for a short distance (approximately 1,000 feet). Ground‐water velocity was calculated to be about 1.7 feet per day using ground‐water temperatures as the tracer, and 2.3 feet per day when phosphate concentration was the tracer used.