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Investigation of groundwater chemistry at a dam site during its construction: a case study of Xiangjiaba Dam, China

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Abstract

Water quality can be used to reflect the hydro-geological features and seepage restrictions around grout curtains. Xiangjiaba Dam, a large hydropower station constructed in southwest of China, was investigated as a case study. Groundwater samples were collected and analysed qualitatively using hydrochemistry diagrams, after which the presence of four major water groups was determined by hierarchical cluster analysis and saturation indices of each group were calculated. Finally, inverse geochemical models of the groups were developed using PHREEQC to elucidate the dissolution/precipitation quality of different minerals and the relative contributions of different seepage sources. The hydro-geochemical methods used were found to be useful for revealing seepage behaviour within the domain during construction of a hydropower station.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by The National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 41272265 and the Scientific Research and Innovation Foundation to support college graduates of Jiangsu Province, China under Grant No. CX10B_218Z.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Ji-Xiang Huo, Han-Zhou Song & Li Luo

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  1. Ji-Xiang Huo
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  2. Han-Zhou Song
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  3. Li Luo
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Correspondence to Ji-Xiang Huo.

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Huo, JX., Song, HZ. & Luo, L. Investigation of groundwater chemistry at a dam site during its construction: a case study of Xiangjiaba Dam, China. Environ Earth Sci 74, 2451–2461 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4261-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4261-6

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