Groundwater pollution in Quaternary aquifer of Vitoria - Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain)

Arrate, Iñaki; Sánchez‐Pérez, José‐Miguel; Antigüedad, Iñaki; Vallecillo, M. A.; Iríbar, V.; Casas-Ruíz, M.

doi:10.1007/s002540050155

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Nitrate contamination of groundwater through point source and diffuse pollution has long attracted world-wide attention (Power and Schepers, 1989;Bijay-Singh et al, 1995;Zhang et al, 1996;Arrate et al, 1997;Carpenter et al, 1998;Jégo et al, 2012). Nitrate pollution from agricultural sources is considered to be the main cause of groundwater degradation in the European Union (Sutton et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal analysis of factors controlling nitrate dynamics and potential denitrification hot spots and hot moments in groundwater of an alluvial floodplain

Bernard-Jannin

Sun

Teissier

et al. 2017

Ecological Engineering

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OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author-deposited version published in : http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/ Eprints ID : 15830 − ) contamination of freshwater systems is a global concern. In alluvial floodplains, riparian areas have been proven to be efficient in nitrate removal. In this study, a large spatio-temporal dataset collected during one year at monthly time steps within a meander area of the Garonne floodplain (France) was analysed in order to improve the understanding of nitrate dynamic and denitrification process in floodplain areas. The results showed that groundwater NO 3 − concentrations (mean 50 mg NO 3 − L −1 ) were primarily controlled by groundwater dilution with river water (explaining 54% of NO 3 − variance), but also by nitrate removal process identified as denitrification (explaining 14% of NO 3 − variance). Dilution was controlled by hydrological flow paths and residence time linked to river-aquifer exchanges and flood occurrence, while potential denitrification (DEA) was controlled by oxygen, high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and organic matter content in the sediment (31% of DEA variance). DOC can originate both from the river input and the degradation of organic matter (OM) located in topsoil and sediments of the alluvial plain. In addition, river bank geomorphology appeared to be a key element explaining potential denitrification hot spot locations. Low bankfull height (LBH) areas corresponding to wetlands exhibited higher denitrification rates than high bankfull height (HBH) areas less often flooded. Hydrology determined the timing of denitrification hot moments occurring after flood events. These findings underline the importance of integrating dynamic water interactions between river and aquifer, geomorphology, and dual carbon source (river and sediment) when assessing nitrate dynamics and denitrification patterns in floodplain environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal analysis of factors controlling nitrate dynamics and potential denitrification hot spots and hot moments in groundwater of an alluvial floodplain

Bernard-Jannin

Sun

Teissier

et al. 2017

Ecological Engineering

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“…At that time, the water table lay close to the surface (0-1.5 m); this led to frequent flooding in some zones when some streams overflowed during the high water season. Thus, to avoid the flooding of the lands, the network of drainage ditches was increased, reaching a density of 8 km km -2 in this Sector (Arrate et al, 1997).…”

Section: Land Use and Transformations On The Aquifermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nitrate concentrations in groundwater increased steadily from the beginning of the 80s up to the early 90s when nitrate concentration increased even to 200 mg l -1 in an important area of the aquifer, its East Sector (Arrate et al, 1997). To address this problem, in 1999 the East Sector of the quaternary aquifer was designated by the Basque Government as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone according to the 91/676/CEE European Directive; consequently a Code of Good Practices and an Action Plan were approved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of farming activities on groundwater quality in European alluvial valleys is well known (Gustafson, 1983;Andersen and Kristiansen, 1984;Ritter et al, 1990;Bernhard et al, 1992;Arrate et al, 1997); agricultural practices and fertilisers have increased concentrations of agricultural contaminants in groundwater. Recently, Böhlke (2002) reviewed the processes involved in the agricultural contamination of groundwater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The criterion for groundwater contamination is insufficient for its use for domestic purposes; the maximum permissible nitrate concentration in drinking water is 50 mg l -1 (EC, 1980). A change in agrarian practices combined with the diversion of principal rivers traversing the aquifer and an increase in the drainage network of the aquifer has led to its rapid contamination by agricultural contaminants (Böhlke, 2002) and, hence, to a reduction in existing potable water resources (Arrate, 1994;Arrate et al, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wetland restoration and nitrate reduction: the example of the peri-urban wetland of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, North Spain)

García-Linares

Martínez‐Santos

Martínez-Bilbao

et al. 2003

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Changes in land use and agricultural intensification caused wetlands on the quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country) to disappear some years ago and nitrate concentration in groundwaters increased very quickly. The Basque Government recently declared the East Sector of this aquifer a Vulnerable Zone according to the 91/676/CEE European Directive. Recently, the wetlands have been restored through the closure of the main drainage ditches, the consequent elevation of the water table and the abondonment of agricultural practices near the wetlands. This is the case of the Zurbano wetland. Restoration has allowed the recovery of its biogeochemical function, which has reduced nitrate concentrations in waters. Nitrate concentrations which exceed 50 mg l -1 in groundwaters entering into the wetland are less than 10 mg l -1 at the outlet. Conditions in the wetland are conducive to the loss of nitrates: organic matter rich wetted soils, clay presence allowing a local semiconfined flow and very low hydraulic gradient. Water quality monitoring at several points around the wetland showed the processes involved in nitrate loss, although some aspects still remain unresolved. However, during storm events, the wetland effectively reduces the nitrate concentration entering the Alegria River, the most important river on the quaternary aquifer.

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Improved simulation of river water and groundwater exchange in an alluvial plain using the SWAT model

et al. 2015

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Hydrological interaction between surface and subsurface water systems has a significant impact on water quality, ecosystems and biogeochemistry cycling of both systems. Distributed models have been developed to simulate this function, but they require detailed spatial inputs and extensive computation time. The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model is a semi‐distributed model that has been successfully applied around the world. However, it has not been able to simulate the two‐way exchanges between surface water and groundwater. In this study, the SWAT‐landscape unit (LU) model – based on a catena method that routes flow across three LUs (the divide, the hillslope and the valley) – was modified and applied in the floodplain of the Garonne River. The modified model was called SWAT‐LUD. Darcy's equation was applied to simulate groundwater flow. The algorithm for surface water‐level simulation during flooding periods was modified, and the influence of flooding on groundwater levels was added to the model. Chloride was chosen as a conservative tracer to test simulated water exchanges. The simulated water exchange quantity from SWAT‐LUD was compared with the output of a two‐dimensional distributed model, surface–subsurface water exchange model. The results showed that simulated groundwater levels in the LU adjoining the river matched the observed data very well. Additionally, SWAT‐LUD model was able to reflect the actual water exchange between the river and the aquifer. It showed that river water discharge has a significant influence on the surface–groundwater exchanges. The main water flow direction in the river/groundwater interface was from groundwater to river; water that flowed in this direction accounted for 65% of the total exchanged water volume. The water mixing occurs mainly during high hydraulic periods. Flooded water was important for the surface–subsurface water exchange process; it accounted for 69% of total water that flowed from the river to the aquifer. The new module also provides the option of simulating pollution transfer occurring at the river/groundwater interface at the catchment scale. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Groundwater pollution in Quaternary aquifer of Vitoria - Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain)

Cited by 26 publications

References 5 publications

Spatio-temporal analysis of factors controlling nitrate dynamics and potential denitrification hot spots and hot moments in groundwater of an alluvial floodplain

Spatio-temporal analysis of factors controlling nitrate dynamics and potential denitrification hot spots and hot moments in groundwater of an alluvial floodplain

Wetland restoration and nitrate reduction: the example of the peri-urban wetland of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, North Spain)

Improved simulation of river water and groundwater exchange in an alluvial plain using the SWAT model

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