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Abstract.Here we present a general approach of calibrating transient transport models to tritium concentrations in river waters developed for the MT3DMS/MODFLOW model of the western Lake Taupo catchment, New Zealand. Tritium has a known pulse-shaped input to groundwater systems due to the bomb tritium in the early 1960s and, with its radioactive half-life of 12.32 yr, allows for the determination of the groundwater age. In the transport model, the tritium input (measured in rainfall) passes through the groundwater system, and the simulated tritium concentrations are matched to the measured tritium concentrations in the river and stream outlets for the Waihaha, Whanganui, Whareroa, Kuratau and Omori catchments from 2000-2007. For the Kuratau River, tritium was also measured between 1960 and 1970, which allowed us to fine-tune the transport model for the simulated bomb-peak tritium concentrations. In order to incorporate small surface water features in detail, an 80 m uniform grid cell size was selected in the steady-state MOD-FLOW model for the model area of 1072 km 2 . The groundwater flow model was first calibrated to groundwater levels and stream baseflow observations. Then, the transient tritium transport MT3DMS model was matched to the measured tritium concentrations in streams and rivers, which are the natural discharge of the groundwater system. The tritium concentrations in the rivers and streams correspond to the residence time of the water in the groundwater system (groundwater age) and mixing of water with different age. The transport model output showed a good agreement with the measured tritium values. Finally, the tritium-calibrated MT3DMS model is applied to simulate groundwater ages, which are used to obtain groundwater age distributions with mean residence times (MRTs) in streams and rivers for the five catchments. The effect of regional and local hydrogeology on the simulated groundwater ages is investigated by demonstrating groundwater ages at five model cross-sections to better understand MRTs simulated with tritium-calibrated MT3DMS and lumped parameter models.

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Seven pesticides, 2,4-D, atrazine, hexazinone, picloram, procymidone, terbuthylazine, and triclopyr, were applied to a Horotiu soil (allophanic loamy silt) located near Hamilton, New Zealand, along with 2 tracer compounds, bromide and deuterated water. Their movement and persistence was monitored for about 2�years using soil sampling down to a maximum of 1 m and 9 suction cups located between 0.2 and 2.5 m down the profile. There was rapid leaching of the tracers as well as hexazinone, picloram, and, to a lesser extent, triclopyr. Procymidone was much less mobile but was very persistent. Atrazine, terbuthylazine, and 2,4-D showed low mobility and persistence at the study site. Bromide and hexazinone were observed in the underlying groundwater following winter recharge and an intensive irrigation period at the end of the study. There was slight adsorption of bromide by the allophane in the soil. The combination of both soil sampling and suction cups gave a more complete description of the leaching process and the distribution of the compound through the profile than either technique by itself. This combination is worthwhile and gives complementary information providing the strengths and limitations of both techniques are appreciated.

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