Abstract
Arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 μg/l, the United States maximum contaminant level and the World Health Organization guideline value, are frequently reported in groundwater from bedrock and unconsolidated aquifers of southeastern Michigan. Although arsenic-bearing minerals (including arsenian pyrite and oxide/hydroxide phases) have been identified in Marshall Sandstone bedrock of the Mississippian aquifer system and in tills of the unconsolidated aquifer system, mechanisms responsible for arsenic mobilization and subsequent transport in groundwater are equivocal. Recent evidence has begun to suggest that groundwater recharge and characteristics of well construction may affect arsenic mobilization and transport. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between dissolved arsenic concentrations, reported groundwater recharge rates, well construction characteristics, and geology in unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicate that arsenic contamination is more prevalent in bedrock wells that are cased in proximity to the bedrock-unconsolidated interface; no other factors were associated with arsenic contamination in water drawn from bedrock or unconsolidated aquifers. Conditions appropriate for arsenic mobilization may be found along the bedrock-unconsolidated interface, including changes in reduction/oxidation potential and enhanced biogeochemical activity because of differences between geologic strata. These results are valuable for understanding arsenic mobilization and guiding well construction practices in southeastern Michigan, and may also provide insights for other regions faced with groundwater arsenic contamination.
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Acknowledgments
Joe Lovato of MDEQ, Brian McKenzie of GCHD, and Dale Lipar of Huron County Health Department proved invaluable both in supplying us with historical arsenic data, and in helping us identify characteristics of the corresponding wells. They have been indispensable resources, assisting us with the intricacies of their datasets. We also thank Steve Aichele, Kelly Warner, Dan Brown, and Pierre Goovaerts for providing detailed, insightful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. This research was made possible by NCI RO-1 CA96002-01.
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Meliker, J.R., Slotnick, M.J., Avruskin, G.A. et al. Influence of groundwater recharge and well characteristics on dissolved arsenic concentrations in southeastern Michigan groundwater. Environ Geochem Health 31, 147–157 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9173-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9173-x