Summary of findings from Musgrove and others, 2019
Understanding the timescales on which groundwater quality changes, and what drives these changes, informs groundwater management, use, and protection. This study combined high-frequency monitoring and discrete sample collection for a range of geochemical constituents (including selected isotopes and age tracers) in a small well network over several years to understand the timescales on which groundwater quality changes.
Some key findings are:
Timeseries of continuously measured specific conductance and water level for wells and specific conductance and spring discharge for Comal Springs. From top to bottom the sites shift from shallow unconfined recharge zone wells (Shavano and Parkwood) with highly variable water levels and physicochemistry, to deeper confined wells (Z-DED, PSW1, PSW2) and a downgradient discharge site (Comal Springs) with more steady and less variable physicochemistry.
Well locations shown on the interactive map
Timeseries of age-tracer lumped parameter model results, showing mean tracer-based groundwater age during periods of both dry and wet conditions.