Groundwater-surface water interaction, non-point source chloride loading, and flow generation along an urban river
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2012-10-03
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Local volumetric groundwater (GW) contributions and non-point source (NPS) chloride loading to the Bow River were evaluated at the city scale in Calgary, Canada. In ten sampling and stream gauging events, discharge did not increase measurably between four locations three to five km apart. Mean chloride concentration and chloride mass flux (FCl-) increased with downstream distance due to NPSs. The major NPS of chloride was alluvial GW (379 mg/L, attributed to road salting). Mass-flux-based estimates of alluvial GW discharge were small (mean 0.02 m3 s-1 km-1) and spatially and seasonally similar. Local alluvial GW discharge to the Bow River was volumetrically insignificant (≤2% of river discharge), but at 7 g s-1 km-1, the chloride load was significant. The FCl- -based estimate of GW contribution to Bow River flow was consistent with long-term river discharge data that demonstrated that the majority of flow generation occurs upstream (92-95%) by mountain block recharge
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Cantafio, L. (2012). Groundwater-surface water interaction, non-point source chloride loading, and flow generation along an urban river (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26328