MEASURING SUBSURFACE SPRING FLOW WITH RADIOTRACERS

THE PRINCIPAL OF APPLYING A HYDROSTATIC HEAD TO SUPPRESS FLOW WAS TRIED EXPERIMENTALLY AT ESTELLING SPRING IN WESTERN TEXAS. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SPRING AND PUMPING TESTS PERFORMED BY THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS INDICATED THAT SPRING SURFACE FLOWS COULD BE CONTROLLED BY A LOW IMPOUNDMENT. AN IMPERVIOUS DIKE WAS BUILT AROUND THE SPRING TO EVALUATE THE TECHNIQUE. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS MADE OF THE DOWNSTREAM SALT CONCENTRATION BEFORE AND AFTER PLACING THE DIKE. HOWEVER, IT WAS DECIDED TO USE TRITIATED WATER FOR A TRACER OF THE GROUND-WATER OR OF THE REAL FLOWS. TRITIUM IN THE FORM OF TRITIATED WATER WAS SELECTED AS BEING THE MOST NEARLY IDEAL OF ALL GROUND-WATER TRACERS. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, TRITIATED WATER BEHAVES ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE WATER BEING STUDIED. SINCE THERE WAS NO DETECTION OF TRITIATED WATER IN ANY OF THE WELL POINTS, CORE HOLES, OR SUMPS SURROUNDING THE SPRING'S CHIMNEY, IT IS CONCLUDED THERE WAS NO DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO WATERS OR THAT THE WELLS AND CORE HOLES WERE NOT PUMPED FOR A SUFFICIENT PERIOD TO DRAW THE TRITIATED WATER INTO THEM. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE SPRING IS LEAKING SUBSURFACELY AT A RATE OF 1.00 CFS. SUBSURFACE LEAKAGE RETURNS TO THE RECEIVING STREAM, AT LEAST IN PART, 4,000 FT DOWNSTREAM FROM THE SPRING AFTER A TRAVEL TIME OF ABOUT 20 DAYS. KNOWING THE VOLUME OF THE SPRING CHIMNEY, THE AMOUNT OF TRACER ADDED AND THE INITIAL CONCENTRATION OF TRACER AFTER MIXING, THE VOLUME WAS DETERMINED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT A SECOND CHAMBER EXISTS BELOW THAT WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN, AND ITS VOLUME AMOUNTS TO ABOUT 104,000 CU FT.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 95, No SA6, PROC PAPER 6973, PP 1097-1103, 4 FIG, 2 REF,
• Authors:
  • Galegar, W C
  • Degeer, M W
• Publication Date: 0

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Journal of Sanitary Engineering Division
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dikes; Flow; Flow control (Air traffic control); Groundwater; Hydrostatic pressure; Pumping tests; Salts; Statistical analysis; Subsurface drainage; Tracers (Chemistry); Tritium; Volume
• Uncontrolled Terms: Springs (Water)
• Old TRIS Terms: Flow control; Hydrostatic head; Impervious blankets; Tracers; Volume determination
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Geotechnology; Highways; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00229759
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 1970 12:00AM