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Hydraulic linkage of a storm water tank to a karst spring (Gallusquelle)

Tracerversuch zur Untersuchung der hydraulischen Anbindung eines Regenüberlaufbeckens zu einer Karstquelle (Gallusquelle)

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Abstract

A significant proportion of the global water supply is ensured by karst aquifers. However, these are often highly vulnerable to contamination. A storm water tank located in the rural karst catchment area of the Gallusquelle spring (Swabian Alb, southwest Germany) about 9.1 km away was identified as a potential source of contamination. A tracer experiment was carried out in order to evaluate this hydraulic connection. For this, 2.5 kg of the fluorescence dye sulforhodamine G was injected directly at the spillway location.

The proposed hydraulic connectivity of the storm water tank to the Gallusquelle spring has been confirmed with this experiment. The maximum tracer velocity of 149 m h−1 highlights rapid groundwater flow through karst conduits. The low tracer mass recovery rate of 14.1% is an indication of a retention capacity along the flow path. This was confirmed by a release of withheld tracer triggered by a heavy storm event 16 days after the injection.

Zusammenfassung

Ein beträchtlicher Anteil der weltweiten Trinkwasserversorgung wird durch Karstgrundwasserleiter sichergestellt. Diese sind jedoch häufig anfällig gegenüber Kontaminationen. Im ländlichen Karsteinzugsgebiet der für die lokale Trinkwasserversorgung gefassten Gallusquelle (Schwäbische Alb) wurde ein Regenüberlaufbecken in ca. 9,1 km Entfernung als potentielle Kontaminationsquelle identifiziert. Zur Untersuchung dieser hydraulischen Anbindung wurde ein Tracerversuch durchgeführt. Die Eingabe von 2,5 kg des hier eingesetzten Fluoreszenzfarbstoffes Sulforhodamin G erfolgte direkt im Ablauf des Regenüberlaufbeckens.

Die vermutete hydraulische Anbindung des Regenüberlaufbeckens zur Gallusquelle wurde mit Hilfe des Versuches eindeutig bestätigt. Die Maximalgeschwindigkeit von 149 m h−1 hebt die schnellen Fließgeschwindigkeiten durch Karströhren hervor. Die geringe Wiederfindung des Tracers von 14,1 % ist andererseits ein Indiz für ein gewisses Retentionsvermögen entlang der Fließstrecke. Dies wurde durch einen erneuten Tracerdurchgang 16 Tage nach der Eingabe bestätigt, welches durch ein starkes Regenereignis hervorgerufen wurde.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the staff of the water supply company Hermentingen for their assistance during the fieldwork.

Funding

This study was partially funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Sustainable Water Management NaWaM FONA RiSKWa funding program (Risikomanagement von Spurenstoffen und Krankheitserregern in ländlichen Karsteinzugsgebieten), No. 02WRS1277B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Fachgebiet Hydrogeologie, Technische Universität Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Morgan Tranter, Ferry Schiperski, Johannes Zirlewagen & Traugott Scheytt

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  1. Morgan Tranter
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  2. Ferry Schiperski
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  3. Johannes Zirlewagen
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Correspondence to Morgan Tranter.

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Tranter, M., Schiperski, F., Zirlewagen, J. et al. Hydraulic linkage of a storm water tank to a karst spring (Gallusquelle). Grundwasser 22, 55–62 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00767-016-0346-8

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