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Isotopes of nitrate and gadolinium fingerprints to assay human inputs in Guarani Aquifer System

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Abstract

The use of environmental tracers brings comprehensive benefits to the management of water resources since it helps to prevent their pollution, minimize public health risks, and thus reduce the impact of urbanization. In Brazil, the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) has strategic and environmental importance, making its preservation and sustainable exploitation mandatory. The present study aimed at evaluating sources of contamination in the GAS using the combination of geochemical data and two environmental tracers: nitrate isotopes (15NNO3 and 18ONO3) and one rare earth element (Gadolinium—Gd). For that, five wells—four exploiting the GAS and one the Bauru Aquifer System (BAS)—were selected to discuss the human inputs in groundwater used for public supply in an urban area. Traditional physicochemical analyses were conducted for six campaign samplings and nitrate monitoring for this period was evaluated on a time scale, also considering the accumulated rainfall. Besides that, the double isotopic method (DIM), e.g., δ18ONO3 e δ15NNO3, was applied to identify the fractionation and enable the distinction of the nitrate contamination source. In addition, the determination of anomalies of Gd, a wastewater-derived contaminant, was also performed to verify recent human inputs in groundwater. The results show that the local existence of nitrate in the GAS and BAS—even at low concentrations (values from 0.26 to 6.68 mg L−1)—originated from anthropogenic inputs (septic waste), as indicates the typical isotopic signals ratio in the isotopic approach. Associated with that, the evaluation of Gd permitted the separation of groundwater samples into older or more recent leakages. The use of environmental tracers to assess anthropogenic inputs in groundwater reiterates the importance of adopting more effective protection strategies for water resources management systems, in order to prevent contamination.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the University of São Paulo (Laboratory of Sanitation of the São Carlos School of Engineering – EESC-USP); State University of Campinas (Department of Geology and Natural Resource – UNICAMP) and University of California (Isotope Facility in the Department of Plant Science) for the use of laboratories and facilities to conduct the chemical analysis and data processing. Special thanks are given to the Service of Water and Sewage in São Carlos (SAAE São Carlos) which authorized and monitored the groundwater samplings from public supply wells; Department of Water and Sewage of the state of São Paulo (DAEE) and professor Didier Gastmans for their support during the data collection phase providing complementary information of the constructive data of the supply wells.

Funding

The authors thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grant number 427579/2016–3) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, process 2015/03806–1) for the financial support that made the present study possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC-USP), University of Sao Paulo (Universidade de São Paulo), São Carlos, Brazil

    Camila M. C. Leite, Jaqueline V. Coutinho, Alice K. M. Morita, Natália S. Pelinson & Edson Wendland

  2. Federal University of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil

    Jaqueline V. Coutinho

  3. Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC), ITR CS, Durazno, Uruguay

    Alice K. M. Morita

  4. Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism and Geography (FAENG), Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Brazil

    Natália S. Pelinson

  5. Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Mitsuyo Saito

  6. Institute of Geosciences, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, Brazil

    Jacinta Enzweiler

Authors
  1. Camila M. C. Leite
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  2. Jaqueline V. Coutinho
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  3. Alice K. M. Morita
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  4. Natália S. Pelinson
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  6. Jacinta Enzweiler
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  7. Edson Wendland
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Correspondence to Camila M. C. Leite.

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Highlights

• Evaluation of human inputs in the Guarani Aquifer System.

• Association of geochemical data with nitrate isotopes and Gadolinium analysis.

• Local concentrations of nitrate, even low, originated from septic waste.

• Incorporation of Gadolinium analysis differentiated younger from older leakages.

• Tracers detect contamination before more considerable volumes of water are damaged.

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Leite, C.M.C., Coutinho, J.V., Morita, A.K.M. et al. Isotopes of nitrate and gadolinium fingerprints to assay human inputs in Guarani Aquifer System. Environ Monit Assess 195, 329 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10869-0

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