Todd, AML, Robertson, I, Byrne, P, Walsh, RPD, Williams, T and Edwards, P (2024) Identification and quantification of diffuse groundwater pollution in a mineralised watershed. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 10 (3). pp. 668-676.

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Abstract

A tracer injection and synoptic sampling experiment was carried out in a tributary catchment of the River Tywi (Carmarthenshire, Wales) during a very low streamflow event to locate and quantify sources of groundwater metal pollution from the abandoned Nantymwyn Pb mine. High resolution sampling at 22 stream locations and 12 inflows along a 2 km stretch of the Nant y Bai was deployed. This high spatial resolution sampling technique allowed point and diffuse sources of metal pollution to be identified enabling their contribution to the overall stream load to be quantified. It was found that the highest proportion of filtered Zn load originated from diffuse groundwater sources from the upper mine tailings (43%), and that the highest proportion of filtered Pb load originated from diffuse groundwater sources from the lower mine tailings (40%), with smaller inputs from a field on the River Tywi floodplain. These results demonstrate that tracer dilution and synoptic sampling is a powerful tool to locate and apportion diffuse sources of groundwater metal pollution in small, mineralised watersheds.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	0399 Other Chemical Sciences; 0905 Civil Engineering; 0907 Environmental Engineering
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Biological & Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Royal Society of Chemistry
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	18 Mar 2024 16:52
Last Modified:	18 Mar 2024 17:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1039/D3EW00194F
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/22835

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