Groundwater flow dynamics and vulnerability of an Appalachian foothills aquifer (Quebec, Canada)
Although recent studies have characterized a number of aquifers in southern Quebec, hydrogeological data are still almost nonexistent for many aquifers. The objectives of this study are to understand the groundwater flow dynamics and vulnerability of the Noire River basin aquifer (Montérégie, Québec) which is representative of the fractured bedrock aquifers located at the fringe of the St. Lawrence Lowlands. In this study, an unsaturated zone water budget model was used to quantify the spatio-temporal variability of infiltration over the study area. The average simulated infiltration is high (215 mm•yr‐1) and occurs mostly during spring snowmelt (74%). Although the largest infiltration occurs in the upper part of the basin, the model does not provide the proportion of recharge that effectively reaches the deep regional aquifer. Throughout the basin, nitrate concentrations are generally below the guideline for drinking water (10 mg N-NO3•L‐1). Nevertheless, 18% of the sampled wells have concentrations higher than 1.5 mg N‐NO3•L‐1, a level considered to be the threshold of background concentrations. Geochemical indicators (water pH, electric conductivity, major ion concentration and stable isotope composition) indicate that topography and geology play a significant role in groundwater dynamics. Seventy-five percent of the study area has a high intrinsic vulnerability, but well sensibility to contamination varies according to the position along the groundwater flow path. In the up-gradient part of the watershed, surface wells are more vulnerable because they intercept superficial groundwater flow. Aquifer recharge occurs mostly in the lower part of the watershed and is probably less than the simulated infiltration. Vulnerability in this area is low because contaminants are diluted into a large reservoir of uncontaminated groundwater fed by intermediate and deep groundwater flows. Groundwater pollution could increase in this zone over the coming decades as the aquifer reaches a steady state of agricultural contaminant input.