PUB00070

• Year: 1998
• Title: Ground Water and Surface Water A Single Resource U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1139
• CWCB Section: Interstate & Federal
• Author: T.C. Winter, J.W. Harvey, O.L. Franke, W.M. Alley
• Description: Overview of current understandimg of interaction of ground water and surface water in terms of quality and quantity
• Publications - Doc Type: Historical

significant ground-water input to a stream, such as from
springs, Radon also has been used to determine stream-
water movement to ground water. For example, radon was
used in a study in France to determine stream-water loss to
ground water as a result of ground-water withdrawals, (See
Figure G-2,)
An example of using stream-water temperature and
sediment temperature for mapping gaining and losing reaches
of a stream is shown in Figure G-3, In gaining reaches of the
stream, sediment temperature and stream-water temperature
are markedly different. In losing reaches of the stream, the
diurnal fluctuations of ternpelature in the stleam are reflected
more strongly in the sediment temperature,

Pumping well

Lot River

,_ Water table
~-------------==:::

---~--

,.------------

_ Ground-
water
flow

Chemically Mixing zone
reducing
Riller zone Alluvial aquifer
I I
I I
I I Dissolved oxygen

~
~

I I

-/LI:

I Manganese
I I
I
I I

-N Zl,e
I
I
I
I Dissolved organic carbon

Radon

specific conductance

Figure G-2, Sharp changes in chemical concentrations
were detected over short distances as water from the Lot
River in France moved into its contiguous alluvial aquifer in
response to pumping from a well, Specific conductance of
water was used as an environmental tracer to determine the
extent of mixing of surface water with ground water, and
radon was used to determine the inflow rate of stream water,
Both pieces of information were then used to calculate the
rate at which dissolved metals reacted to form solid phases
during movement of stream water toward the pumping well,
(Modified from Bourg, A.C,M" and Bertin, C" 1993,
Biogeochemical processes during the infiltration of river
water into an alluvial aquifer: Env;ronmental Science and
Technology, v, 27, p, 661-666,) (Reprinted with permission
from the American Chemical Society,)

Sampling for a chemical tracer. (Photograph by
Gary Zellweger.)

75
A
70
65
....
~60
Z
w
a;
:I: 55
;1
<J)
w
~50
<-' 246 248
w
a
~ 76
W B
a; 7.
:>
....
~72
w
"-
~ 70
....
68
66

Gaining Reach

-Water column

\
Sediment

250 252 254 256 258 260

Losi ng Reach

-Water
column

64

62
218 220 222 224 226 228 230 232 234 236
DAY OF YEAR

Ffgure G-3. Ground-water temperatures
generally are more stable than surface-water
temperatures, Therefore, gaining reaches of
Juday Creek in Indiana are characterized
by relatively stable sediment temperatures
compared to stream-water temperatures (A),
Conversely, losing reaches are characterized
by more variable sediment temperatures caused
by the temperature of the inflowing surface
water (B), (Modified from Silliman, S.E., and
Booth, OF" 1993, Analysis of time series
measurements of sediment temperature for
identification of gaining versus losing portions
of Juday Creek, Indiana: Journal of Hydrology,
v, 146, p, 131-148.) (Reprinted with permission
from Elsevier Science-NL, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.)

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