Abstract
This paper presents a novel method of spatially representing the likelihood of occurrence of a contaminant in groundwater at the scale of a municipality or watershed. The specific contaminant of concern in the case study area is arsenic, which is variably present in groundwater at concentrations exceeding the 10 µg/l drinking water guideline. The method used to produce the likelihood of occurrence map incorporates confidence of geochemical interpretation based on availability of information and data on each aquifer. While demonstrated using arsenic as the contaminant of interest, the approach is readily adapted to other groundwater constituents. The final map is intended to be of use to water managers as it provides a spatial representation of aquifers of concern and identifies areas where further sampling or monitoring may be needed.
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Acknowledgments
This article is the product of the second phase of a four-year (2008–2012) research project “Developing a Canadian Water Security Framework as a Tool for Improved Governance for Watersheds” that will create a Water Security Framework (WSF), which includes decision-support tools for water managers. This research project, led by Dr. Karen Bakker (University of British Columbia) and Dr. Diana Allen (Simon Fraser University), is funded by Grants from the Canadian Water Network (CWN) and the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. This component of the project targeted the spatial representation of water quality data. The authors would particularly like to thank Marc Zubel, Dean Scovill, Mark Sloat, Township of Langley, and the Fraser Health Authority for access to groundwater chemistry data.
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de Albuquerque, R.C., Allen, D.M. & Kirste, D. A methodology for spatially representing the likelihood of occurrence of natural contaminants in groundwater. Environ Earth Sci 68, 1863–1875 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1874-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1874-x