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Identification and quantification of diffuse groundwater pollution in a mineralised watershed
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Patrick Byrne ,
Rory Walsh,
Tom Williams ,
Paul Edwards
Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, Volume: 10, Issue: 3, Pages: 668 - 676
Swansea University Authors:
AARON TODD, Iain Robertson , Rory Walsh
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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/d3ew00194f
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 2...
| Published in: | Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology |
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| ISSN: | 2053-1400 2053-1419 |
| Published: |
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
2024
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65729 |
| 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. |
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| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
The authors thank the Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2) for funding AT's PhD, allowing this research to be undertaken. We also thank Ilaria Frau and NRW staff for their assistance with fieldwork. PB acknowledges receipt of a Natural Environment Research Council award (NE/S009507/1). |
| Issue: |
3 |
| Start Page: |
668 |
| End Page: |
676 |