[en] The Eisden-Meeswijk region in Belgium has been affected by mining subsidence due to the deep coal mining activities. Groundwater levels in the alluvial plain of the Meuse River are maintained below the ground surface by drainage installations and municipal well fields. A correlation between the water level in the Meuse River and the variation in nitrate and sulphate concentrations in the aquifer has been observed. A transient groundwater model is developed for the period May 1998-May 2002 and advective transport simulations have been carried out using this model. During dry periods, the major groundwater flow is directed towards the Meuse River, thereby feeding the river. During wet periods, however, groundwater flows in the opposite direction. Due to these variations in groundwater flow direction and to the extraction of groundwater, zones of higher solute concentration exist of which the position and extension vary both spatially and temporally.
Research Center/Unit :
Aquapôle - ULiège
Disciplines :
Geological, petroleum & mining engineering
Author, co-author :
Peeters, Luk; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - KUL > Dpt Geologie-Geografie > Hydrogeologie en Ingenieursgeologie
Haerens, Bruno; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - KUL > Dpt Geologie-Geografie > Hydrogeologie en Ingenieursgeologie
Van der Sluys, Jan; Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Watervoorziening (VMW)
Dassargues, Alain ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département Argenco : Secteur GEO3 > Hydrogéologie & Géologie de l'environnement
Language :
English
Title :
Modelling seasonal variations in nitrate and sulphate concentrations in a vulnerable alluvial aquifer
Anderson M, Woesner W (1992) Applied groundwater modeling. Simulation of flow and advective transport. Academic Press, New York, 381p
Berner RA (1981) A new geochemical classification of sedimentary environments. J Sediment Petrol 51(2):359-365
Brouyère S, Dassargues A, Hallet V (2004) Migration of contaminants through the unsaturated zone overlying the Hesbaye chalky aquifer in Belgium: a field investigation. J Contamin Hydrol (in press)
Buffel P, Claes S, Gullentops F (2001) Geologische kaart van België, kaartblad Rekem (26) and verklarende tekst (Geological map of Belgium, sheet Rekem (26) and explanatory text). Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Afdeling Natuurlijke Rijkdommen en Energie, Brussels, schaal 1/50.000
Cammaer C (1998) Coal mining and groundwater in Flanders (Belgium). Aardk Med 9:110-122
Canter L (1996) Nitrates in groundwater. Lewis, New York, 261 pp
Denimal S, Tribovillard N, Barbecot F, Dever L (2002) Leaching of coal-mine tips (Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal basin, France) and sulphate transfer to the chalk aquifer: example of acid mine drainage in a buffered environment. Environ Geol 42:966-981
Dusar M (1996) Energie: Steenkool (Energy: Coal). In: Gullentops F, Wouters L (eds) Delfstoffen in Vlaanderen (Natural resources of the Flemish community). Ministery of the Flemish Community, Brussels, pp 107-116
Houtgast RF, Van Balen RT, Bouwer LM, Brand GBM (2002) Late Quaternary activity of the Feldbiss Fault Zone, Roer Valley Rift System, the Netherlands, based on displaced flucial terrace fragments. Tectonophysics 352:295-315
IWACO (1998) Nader onderzoek winningen Eisden en Meeswijk, projectnummer 3360220 (Study of the well fields in Eisden and Meeswijk, Project no. 3360220). IWACO, Mechelen
Loy W (1980) Hydrogeologische studie van het Kempisch plateau en de Limburgse maasvallei (Hydrogeologic study of the Campine Plateau and the valley of the Meuse River in Limburg). Ministerie van Vlaamse Aangelegenheden en Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Brussels, 120 pp
McDonald MG, Harbaugh AW, Bantaz ER, Hill MC (2000) Modflow-2000, the U.S. Geological Survey modular groundwater model: user guide to modularization concepts and the groundwater flow process. US Geological Survey, Open-File Report 00-92, Reston, Virginia, 130 pp
Neeteson J (2000) Nitrogen Quo Vadis. In: Vlassak K, Agenbag GA, Van Cleemput O (eds) Nitrogen dynamics en intensive and extensive agriculture. ACCO, Leuven, pp 149-161
Oenema O, Boers PCM, Van Eerdt MM, Fraters B, van der Meer HG, Roest CWJ, Schr JJ, Willems WJ (1998) Leaching of nitrate from agriculture to groundwater: the effect of policies and measures in The Netherlands. Environ Pollut 102(S1) 471-478
Paulissen E (1973) De morfologie en de kwartairstratigrafie van de Maasvallei in Belgisch Limburg (Morphology and quaternary stratigraphy of the valley of the Meuse River in Belgian Limburg). PhD Thesis, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, 266 pp
Pollock DW (1994) User's Guide for MODPATH/MODPATH-PLOT, Version 3: a particle tracking post-processing package for MODFLOW, the U. S. Geological Survey finite-difference ground-water flow model. USGS Open-File Report 94-464, USGS, Reston, Virginia, 249 pp
Reilly TE (2001) System and boundary conceptualization in ground-water flow simulation, vol 3. In: Applications of hydraulics. USGS, Reston, Virginia, 29 pp
Sams J, Beer K (2000) Effects of coal-mine drainage on stream water quality in the Allegheny and Monongahela River Basins: sulphate transport and trends. USGS Water Resources Investigations Report 99-4208, USGS, Reston, Virginia, 23 pp
Spitz H, Moreno J (1996) A practical guide to groundwater and solute transport modelling. Wiley, New York, 461 pp
Thornthwaite CW (1948) An approach towards a rational classification of climate. Geogr Rev 38(1):55-94
Vansteelandt P (1984a) De waterhuishouding in het mijnverzakkingsgebied van de kolenmijn Eisden (Hydrogeology of the mining subsidence area of the Eisden coal mine). Tijdschrift Water 18:138-143
Vansteelandt P (1984b) De waterhuishouding in het mijnverzakkingsgebied van de kolenmijn Eisden (Hydrogeology of the mining subsidence area of the Eisden coal mine). Tijdschrift Water 19:150-155
VLM (2000) N-(eco)2: Bepaling van de hoeveelheid minerale stikstof in de bodem als beleidsinstrument (Assessment of the amount of mineral nitrogen in soil for policy-making). Project no. 2000/1, Vlaamse Land Maatschappij, Brussels, 215 PP
Walraevens K, Eppinger R, Van Camp M (2003). Verspreiding van nitraat in het grondwater in Viaanderen (Nitrate occurence in groundwater in Flanders). Tijdschrift Water 8:30-38
Zheng C, Bennet DB (1995) Applied contaminant transport modelling: theory and practice. New York, Wiley, 440 pp
Zheng C, Wang P (1999) MT3DMS: a modular three-dimensional multispecies transport model for simulation of advection, dispersion, and chemical reactions of contaminants in groundwater. US Army Corps of Engineers, Tuscaloosa, 220 pp
