Emerging contaminants in groundwater - NERC Open Research ...

OR/11/013
Concentration (ng/L)
Untreated wastewater Treated wastewater o Outlier
Surface water Groundwater * Extreme value
10000
1000
100
10
1
Bisphenol
A
o o
o
4‐nonyl
phenol
oo ***
o
o
o
Caffeine
o
Galaxolide
o
37
o o
o
Tonalide
o o
o
Carbam‐
azepine
Figure 5.3 Box plots of micropollutant concentrations in water samples from Leipzig (from Musolff
et al., 2009).
HALLE
A similar study was conducted beneath the city of Halle (Osenbrück et al., 2007). The city is
underlain by a series of Quaternary shallow sand and gravel aquifers in the Saale River
floodplain. The confluence of the Weisse Elster river (35 km below Leipzig) and the Saale
River is south of the city.
High concentrations of pollutants enter groundwater when hydraulic conditions allow the
infiltration of river water. Sewer exfiltration and storm water runoff are also sources.
Carbamazepine and galaxolide were shown to be sorbed around sewer exfiltration points due
to higher organic loading. Carbamazepine was affected by attenuation processes and
galaxolide was found to be a much better marker of urban groundwater (Table 5.6).
Reinstorf et al. (2009) modelled the flux of micropollutants from surface water to
groundwater during surface water flooding events and were able to simulate the pulse.
Concentrations of bisphenol A were the most attenuated. The attenuation of carbamazepine
could be modelled. Mass balances showed increases of all micropollutants in surface water
below the city compared to above in the order of 100 kg/year, except for bisphenol A
(11 kg/year) and galaxolide (272 kg/year).
Table 5.6 Concentration in µg/L for organic micropollutants in Halle (from Osenbrück et al., 2007)
STW effluent Surface water Quaternary aquifers
Carbamazepine 0.210 0.096