Abstract
A hydrometric, hydrochemical and environmental isotopic study was conducted to identify the source and origin of observed springs on the foot of the hillock abutting the left flank of the Gollaleru earthen dam, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, India. Water samples (springs, reservoir water and groundwater) in and around the dam area were collected and analyzed for environmental isotopes (\(\updelta ^{18}\!\hbox {O}\), \(\updelta ^{2}\hbox {H}\) and \(^{3}\hbox {H}\)) and hydrochemistry. Reservoir level, spring discharges and physico-chemical parameters (temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, etc.) were monitored in-situ. Isotopic results indicated that the source of springs is from the Owk reservoir and groundwater contribution to the springs is insignificant. Based on hydrometric observations, it is inferred that the springs might be originated from the reservoir level of 209 m amsl. It is found that the lower spring discharges were derived from diffuse sources (seepage) which could be a mixture of reservoir water and the groundwater, while the relatively higher spring discharges were resulted from concentrated sources (leakage) from the reservoir. Thus, the study portraits the usefulness of isotope techniques in understanding the dam seepage/leakage related problems.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the officials of Irrigation Department, Nandyal, for the help during the field visit. Thanks are also due to Dr U K Sinha, Head, Isotope Hydrology Section, Isotope & Radiation Application Division (IRAD), BARC and Mr K S S Sarma, Head, IRAD, BARC for their encouragement and support. They sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions for improving the manuscript.
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Noble, J., Arzoo Ansari, M. Environmental isotope investigation for the identification of source of springs observed in the hillock on the left flank of Gollaleru Earthen Dam, Andhra Pradesh, India. J Earth Syst Sci 126, 67 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0843-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0843-x