Columbia Basin GWMA

Subsurface Geologic Mapping and Hydrogeologic

Assessment Project Progress Report

Groundwater Geochemistry

Dimitri Vlassopoulos
SS Papadopulos and Associates
Portland, Oregon

Presented at GWMA Board Meeting, Othello, WA

January 22, 2009
 Groundwater Geochemistry
• Major ion chemistry
– Changes along flow path
– Relative age
– Recharge sources
– Mixing
• Stable Isotopes
– Water sources (precipitation/runoff, surface water)
– Ancient (glacial) versus modern recharge
• Atmospheric tracers (groundwater age-dating)
– Radiocarbon, tritium, CFCs, SF6
– Groundwater “age” (time since recharged)
– Mixing of old and young water (pumping effects)
GWMA Well Sampling 2008
 Groundwater Geochemistry, Age and Recharge
• Geochemical data can
identify the source(s) of
Apparent Groundwater Age
groundwater
10,000 years 2,000 years

Canal
– ancient groundwater
Sediments – surface water recharge
(lakes, rivers, canals)
– irrigation water recharge
10 years old
• Age-dating methods can
Water-bearing Zones
Basalt Aquifer

be used to determine the

5,000 years
old length of time
groundwater has been in
the subsurface
rs old
10,000 yea
• Direct information on the
relative amounts of old
and young water drawn
by pumping wells
 Apparent Groundwater Age (Radiocarbon years)
20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 2,000 1,000 0
14
Irrigation Wells
Domestic Wells
12 Municipal Wells
Columbia River/Canals

(recharged since 1950s)

Lakes
10

Young Water
Tritium (TU)

Old
2
Groundwater
Increasing recharge age
0
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

Radiocarbon (percent modern)

 Royal City
• Wells #1, #2
– Shallow-cased water supply wells completed in Wanapum
– Static water levels steady
– Mixture of older and “young” water (recharged since
1950s)
– Recharge from Frenchman Hills sufficient to sustain
withdrawals
Apparent Age Radiocarbon Tritium
Well
years % modern TU
Royal City #1 1,300 38 5.45
Royal City #2 < 50 61 10.6
 Moses Lake
• Well #18
– Supply well completed in Wanapum (Frenchman Springs)
– Static water levels stable
– Mostly “young” water (post-1950’s)
– Direct connection to East Low Canal through Roza/Upper
Frenchman Springs flow zones

Apparent Age Radiocarbon Tritium

Well
years % modern TU
Moses Lake #18 < 50 95 7.08
 Moses Lake
• Well #17
– Supply well completed in upper Grande Ronde (Sentinel
Bluffs)
– Static water levels declining
– Mixture of old and “young” water (average recharge age
~6,000 years)
– Recharge from “young” water component (<20 %) is too
small to offset withdrawals
– Limited connection to surface recharge

Apparent Age Radiocarbon Tritium

Well
years % modern TU
Moses Lake #17 5,800 24 3.97
 Odessa
• Irrigation well 20 miles east of Moses Lake
– Well completed in Lower Grande Ronde (Umtanum and
Ortley)
– Static water levels declining
– Old water (recharge age >10,000 years)
– No present-day surface recharge sources

Apparent Age Radiocarbon Tritium

Well
years % modern TU
Odessa Irrigation Well 15,800 8 < 0.1
Moses Lake #17 5,800 24 3.97
 Horseshoe Bend
• Irrigation Wells
– Shallow (132’) well in use since 1948 (Roza/Alluvium)
– Deeper (605’) well in basalt (Wanapum and uppermost Grande
Ronde)
– Static water levels stable
– Predominantly young water in shallow well, predominantly older
water in deeper well
– Relatively low groundwater use area
– Connection to surface recharge (Sprague Lake) sufficient to recharge
shallow well

Apparent Age Radiocarbon Tritium

Well
years % modern TU
HB 132 ft well < 50 87 2.58
HB 600 ft well 7,900 18 < 0.1
 However…
• MOST of the
groundwater in the 15
Lower Grande Ronde
aquifers is more than

Frequency
10,000 years old 10

• The lower part of the 5

basalt aquifer system

has not been 0
recharged since the < 100 100 - 500 501 - 1,001 - 5,001 - > 10,000
end of the last ice age 1,000 5,000 10,000

(!) Apparent Age (Years)