Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments
Study region: Silver Springs is a karst spring in north-central Florida. As landuses in the springshed have urbanized in recent decades, concentrations of contaminants, including nitrate, have increased in spring water, causing environmental concerns. Study focus: Pathways of groundwater movement fr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581822000684 |
| _version_ | 1818338839358341120 |
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| author | Mohammad Shokri Yuan Gao Kelly M. Kibler Dingbao Wang Michael J. Wightman Nyle Rice |
| author_facet | Mohammad Shokri Yuan Gao Kelly M. Kibler Dingbao Wang Michael J. Wightman Nyle Rice |
| author_sort | Mohammad Shokri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Study region: Silver Springs is a karst spring in north-central Florida. As landuses in the springshed have urbanized in recent decades, concentrations of contaminants, including nitrate, have increased in spring water, causing environmental concerns. Study focus: Pathways of groundwater movement from stormwater management areas to Silver Springs were investigated using ground-based geophysical surveys (ground penetrating radar and frequency domain electromagnetics) accompanied by tracer tests in the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) and surficial aquifer. Results indicated heterogeneous near-surface and deep karst conditions, where stormwater runoff may be transported quickly through groundwater to the spring. A wide range of groundwater velocities (10−6 to 10−3 ms−1) were observed in the surficial aquifer, where faster flow speeds were associated with subsurface anomalies and preferential flow. However, tracer injected into the UFA was observed in the spring hours later, suggesting possible maximum groundwater velocities on the order of 10−1 ms−1 in the karst aquifer. Series of tracer pulses in the spring highlight the complexity of flow pathways to Silver Springs. New hydrological insights for the region: The rapid transport of tracer from stormwater basins to Silver Springs suggests that stormwater infiltration basins may be hotspots for potential aquifer and spring contamination in karst areas. Development of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that integrate heterogeneous karst transport processes may enhance spring and groundwater quality in Silver Springs and other karst regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:17:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d8df11983794793a0d42aa5f9a97892 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-5818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:17:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d8df11983794793a0d42aa5f9a978922022-12-21T23:40:40ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182022-04-0140101055Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experimentsMohammad Shokri0Yuan Gao1Kelly M. Kibler2Dingbao Wang3Michael J. Wightman4Nyle Rice5University of Central Florida, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Fl 32816, USA; Corresponding author.Xinjiang University, School of Geology and Mining Engineering, 1230 Yan'an Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830047, ChinaUniversity of Central Florida, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Fl 32816, USAUniversity of Central Florida, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Fl 32816, USAGeoView Inc, 4610 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, Fl 33711, USAGeorgia Association of Water Professionals, 1655 Enterprise Way, Marietta, GA 30067, USAStudy region: Silver Springs is a karst spring in north-central Florida. As landuses in the springshed have urbanized in recent decades, concentrations of contaminants, including nitrate, have increased in spring water, causing environmental concerns. Study focus: Pathways of groundwater movement from stormwater management areas to Silver Springs were investigated using ground-based geophysical surveys (ground penetrating radar and frequency domain electromagnetics) accompanied by tracer tests in the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) and surficial aquifer. Results indicated heterogeneous near-surface and deep karst conditions, where stormwater runoff may be transported quickly through groundwater to the spring. A wide range of groundwater velocities (10−6 to 10−3 ms−1) were observed in the surficial aquifer, where faster flow speeds were associated with subsurface anomalies and preferential flow. However, tracer injected into the UFA was observed in the spring hours later, suggesting possible maximum groundwater velocities on the order of 10−1 ms−1 in the karst aquifer. Series of tracer pulses in the spring highlight the complexity of flow pathways to Silver Springs. New hydrological insights for the region: The rapid transport of tracer from stormwater basins to Silver Springs suggests that stormwater infiltration basins may be hotspots for potential aquifer and spring contamination in karst areas. Development of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that integrate heterogeneous karst transport processes may enhance spring and groundwater quality in Silver Springs and other karst regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581822000684KarstHydrogeologyStormwater runoffGPRElectromagneticTracer |
| spellingShingle | Mohammad Shokri Yuan Gao Kelly M. Kibler Dingbao Wang Michael J. Wightman Nyle Rice Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Karst Hydrogeology Stormwater runoff GPR Electromagnetic Tracer |
| title | Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| title_full | Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| title_fullStr | Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| title_short | Contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in Florida: Results of near-surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| title_sort | contaminant transport from stormwater management areas to a freshwater karst spring in florida results of near surface geophysical investigations and tracer experiments |
| topic | Karst Hydrogeology Stormwater runoff GPR Electromagnetic Tracer |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581822000684 |
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