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Applicability of geochemical techniques and artificial sweeteners in discriminating the anthropogenic sources of chloride in shallow groundwater north of Toronto, Canada

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Abstract

Elevated levels of chloride concentration due to anthropogenic activities including the road salts, septic effluent and agricultural sources are common in shallow groundwater of the recent glacial deposits north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Identifying suitable techniques for discriminating the source of the chloride concentration helps to better plan the protection of groundwater in the area. This paper examines the applicability of geochemical techniques with emphasis on Panno et al. (Ground Water 44: 176–187, 2006) and Mullaney et al. (2009) graphical approaches for discriminating the sources of chloride with known causes of impacts. The results indicated that the graphical methods developed using Cl−, Br− and/or total nitrogen (N) could identify the combined sources of road salts and septic systems. However, discriminating between the road salts, septic effluent or agricultural sources needs to be complemented by other techniques including the artificial sweeteners and isotope tracers.

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Acknowledgements

The data and information used in this paper is from the Regional Municipality of York (York Region) and obtained through Freedom of Information Request No. 16-121. The author is grateful to Ghislaine Boulianne, Access and Privacy Officer at York Region, for facilitating access of the data and information. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or views, either expressed or implied, of The Regional Municipality of York, its elected and appointed officials or employees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 7 Lorrain Drive, Apt. LRG 06, Toronto, ON, Canada, M2N 7H2

    Esmaeil Khazaei

  2. Associate Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and Institute for Sustainable Future, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    William Milne-Home

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  1. Esmaeil Khazaei
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  2. William Milne-Home
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Correspondence to Esmaeil Khazaei.

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Khazaei, E., Milne-Home, W. Applicability of geochemical techniques and artificial sweeteners in discriminating the anthropogenic sources of chloride in shallow groundwater north of Toronto, Canada. Environ Monit Assess 189, 218 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5927-1

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