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Characterisation of groundwater recharge conditions and flow mechanisms in bedrock aquifers of the Johannesburg area, South Africa

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Abstract

Groundwater is the major source of water and a critical resource for socioeconomic development in semi-arid environments like the Johannesburg area. Environmental isotopes are employed in this study to characterise groundwater recharge and flow mechanisms in the bedrock aquifers of Johannesburg, which is known for polluted surface water. With the exception of boreholes near the Hartbeespoort Dam, groundwater in the study area was derived from meteoric water that has undergone some degree of evaporation before recharge, possibly via diffuse mechanisms. Boreholes that tap groundwater from the Transvaal Supergroup Formation show depletion in δ18O and δ2H values. This is attributed to diffuse recharge through weathering fractures at high elevation that are undergoing deep circulation or recharge from depleted rainfall from the high-latitude moisture sources. The influence of focused recharge from the Hartbeespoort Dam was observed in the boreholes north of the dam, possibly as a result of the north–south trending fault lines and the north-dipping fractures in the bedding planes of quartzites. This is also supported by a reservoir water budget method which indicated a mean annual net flux of 2,084,131 m3 from Hartbeespoort Dam recharging groundwater per annum. Using tritium in the dam and boreholes located at 750 m and 5400 m downstream, average groundwater flow velocity was estimated as 202 m/year. An open system was observed in shale, andesite and granitic-gneiss aquifers indicating soil CO2 as a dominant source of carbon (δ13C) in groundwater. A closed system was also observed in dolomitic aquifers indicating carbonate dissolution as the predominant source of carbon.

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(source for geological data is Council for Geosciences)

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded in whole or part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) through Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) under cooperative agreement number AID-OAA-A-11-00012 Sub-Grant number: 2000006304 and the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa (UID: 101594). This is where the GRECHLIM project entitled “Understanding recharge in the Limpopo River Basin, South Africa” has been implemented. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, of recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the NAS, and DST. We would like to thank the Department of Water and Sanitation, Johannesburg Water Authority and South African Weather Services for providing us with different data. Many thanks to the School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand for logistic support, and Ms. Aqeelah Davis for assistance with the Hartbeespoort Dam sampling and logistics. The authors are also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers and the editor-in-chief, Dr. Gunter Dorhofer, whose constructive comments and recommendations helped to improve this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X3, P.O Box Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Khahliso Leketa & Tamiru Abiye

  2. iThemba Labs, Private Bag 11, Wits, 2050, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

    Michael Butler

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  1. Khahliso Leketa
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  2. Tamiru Abiye
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  3. Michael Butler
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Correspondence to Khahliso Leketa.

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Leketa, K., Abiye, T. & Butler, M. Characterisation of groundwater recharge conditions and flow mechanisms in bedrock aquifers of the Johannesburg area, South Africa. Environ Earth Sci 77, 727 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7911-7

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