Abstract
A modified DRASTIC model for groundwater vulnerability assessment (abbreviated as DRARCH model by combining the first letters of its six assessment indices) was proposed. It is essentially the specific application of DRASTIC model rather than a new model. Both natural hydrogeological conditions that prevent groundwater from contamination and important intrinsic hydrogeochemical properties of sediments in vadose zone that are related to the retardation of contaminants were considered as vulnerability indices. The DRARCH model consists of six indices: (1) Depth to the water table, (2) net Recharge, (3) Aquifer thickness, (4) Ratio of cumulative thickness of clay layers to total thickness of vadose zone, (5) Contaminant adsorption coefficient of sediment in vadose zone, and (6) Hydraulic conductivity of aquifer. The rating values and the weights of these vulnerability indices were obtained by contaminant transport simulation and factor analysis method respectively. Furthermore, the DRARCH model was applied to evaluate the groundwater vulnerability to arsenic contamination in Taiyuan basin, northern China, where groundwaters with high arsenic concentration occur in some localities. GIS-based mapping of groundwater vulnerability using this model indicates that the distribution of very high and high-vulnerability areas corresponds well to that of high-arsenic groundwaters. The DRARCH model is therefore reliable and useful for guiding groundwater environment management.
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Acknowledgments
The research work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant for outstanding young scholars, No. 40425001), China Geological Survey (No. CGS-200310400009) and the Research Foundation for Outstanding Young Teachers, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (No. CUGQNL0619). The manuscript greatly benefited from the helpful comments from two anonymous reviewers.
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Guo, Q., Wang, Y., Gao, X. et al. A new model (DRARCH) for assessing groundwater vulnerability to arsenic contamination at basin scale: a case study in Taiyuan basin, northern China. Environ Geol 52, 923–932 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0534-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0534-4