Domestic Water Supply Dynamics Using Stable Isotopes δ18O, δD, and d-Excess
ABSTRACT
Surface water is the greatest contributor to many water supplies in urbanized areas. Understanding local water sources and seasonality is important in evaluating water resource management, which is essential to ensure the sustainability of water supplies to provide potable water. Here we describe the municipal water cycle of Columbus, Ohio, USA, using δ18O, δD, and d-excess, and follow water from precipitation through surface reservoirs to a residential tap between May 2010 and November 2011. We show that trends in water isotopic composition of Ohio precipitation have a seasonal character with more negative values during the winter months and more positive values during the summer months. The year of 2011 was the wettest year on record in Central Ohio, with many months having high d-excess values (>+15‰), suggestive of increased moisture recycling, and possibly moisture introduced from more local sources. Tap waters experienced little lag time in the managed system, having a residence time of ~2 months in the reservoirs. Tap waters and reservoir waters preserved the isotopic signal of the precipitation, but the reservoir morphology also influenced the water residence time, and hence, the isotopic relationship to the precipitation. The reservoirs supplied by the Scioto River function like a river system with a fast throughput of water. The other reservoirs display more constant solute concentrations, longer flow-through times, and more lacustrine qualities. This work provides a basic understanding of a regional water supply system in Central Ohio and helps characterize the water flow in the system. These data will provide useful baseline information for the future as urban populations grow and the climate and hydrologic cycle changes.
Surface water is the greatest contributor to many water supplies in urbanized areas. Understanding local water sources and seasonality is important in evaluating water resource management, which is essential to ensure the sustainability of water supplies to provide potable water. Here we describe the municipal water cycle of Columbus, Ohio, USA, using δ18O, δD, and d-excess, and follow water from precipitation through surface reservoirs to a residential tap between May 2010 and November 2011. We show that trends in water isotopic composition of Ohio precipitation have a seasonal character with more negative values during the winter months and more positive values during the summer months. The year of 2011 was the wettest year on record in Central Ohio, with many months having high d-excess values (>+15‰), suggestive of increased moisture recycling, and possibly moisture introduced from more local sources. Tap waters experienced little lag time in the managed system, having a residence time of ~2 months in the reservoirs. Tap waters and reservoir waters preserved the isotopic signal of the precipitation, but the reservoir morphology also influenced the water residence time, and hence, the isotopic relationship to the precipitation. The reservoirs supplied by the Scioto River function like a river system with a fast throughput of water. The other reservoirs display more constant solute concentrations, longer flow-through times, and more lacustrine qualities. This work provides a basic understanding of a regional water supply system in Central Ohio and helps characterize the water flow in the system. These data will provide useful baseline information for the future as urban populations grow and the climate and hydrologic cycle changes.
Cite this paper
Leslie, D. , Welch, K. and Lyons, W. (2014) Domestic Water Supply Dynamics Using Stable Isotopes δ18O, δD, and d-Excess. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 6, 1517-1532. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2014.616139.
Leslie, D. , Welch, K. and Lyons, W. (2014) Domestic Water Supply Dynamics Using Stable Isotopes δ18O, δD, and d-Excess. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 6, 1517-1532. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2014.616139.
References
[1] Bowen, G.J., Ehleringer, J.R., Chesson, L.A., Stange, E. and Cerling, T.E. (2007) Stable Isotope Ratios of Tap Water in the Contiguous United States. Water Resources Research, 43, 1-12.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005186 [2] Hutson, S.S., Barber, N.L., Kenny, J.F., Linsey, K.S., Lumia, D.S. and Maupin, M.A. (2004) Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000. USGS Circular 1268. Geological Survey, Denver. [3] Adeloye, A.J., Nawaz, N.R. and Montaseri, M. (1999) Climate Change Water Resources Planning Impacts Incorporating Reservoir Surface Net Evaporation Fluxes: A Case Study. Water Resources Development, 15, 561-581.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900629948763 [4] Montaseri, M. and Adeloye, A.J. (2004) A Graphical Rule for Volumetric Evaporation Loss Correction in Reservoir Capacity-Yield-Performance Planning in Urmia Region, Iran. Water Resources Management, 18, 55-74.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:WARM.0000015389.70013.e4 [5] United States Census Bureau (2010) 2010 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau.
http://factfinder.census.gov [6] City of Columbus (2005) Department of Public Utilities 2005 Annual Report. City Council, Columbus. [7] Wikipedia (2010) Alum Creek Lake. 25 June 2010, 21:27 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Encyclopedia On-Line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum_Creek_Lake [8] Allen, G. (2011) An Analysis of the Fate and Transport of Nutrients in the Upper and Lower Scioto Watersheds of Ohio. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus. [9] Lis, G., Wassenaar, L.I. and Hendry, M.J. (2008) High-Precision Laser Spectroscopy D/H and 18O/16O Measurements of Microliter Natural Water Samples. Analytical Chemistry, 80, 287-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac701716q [10] Thompson, L.G., Mosley-Thompson, E., Brecher, H., Davis, M., León, B., Les, D., Lin, P.-N., Mashiotta, T. and Mountain, K. (2006) Abrupt Tropical Climate Change: Past and Present. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103, 10536-10543.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0603900103 [11] Craig, H. (1961) Isotopic Variations in Meteoric Waters. Science, 133, 1702-1703.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.133.3465.1702 [12] Merlivat, L. and Jouzel, J. (1979) Global Climatic Interpretation of the Deuterium-Oxygen 18 Relationship for Precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 84, 5029-5033.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JC084iC08p05029 [13] Jouzel, J., Merlivat, L. and Lorius, C. (1982) Deuterium Excess in an East Antarctic Ice Core Suggests Higher Relative Humidity at the Oceanic Surface during the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature, 299, 688-691.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/299688a0 [14] Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (2013) 1986-2011 Precipitation Records in Franklin County, Ohio, 1986-Present.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/newweather/stationinfo.asp?id=14 [15] National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2013) 2010-2011 Columbus Ohio Meteorological Data.
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/noaa/noaa_archive.php?reset=yes [16] Leslie, D. (2013) The Application of Stable Isotopes δ11B, δ18O, and δD in Hydrological and Geochemical Studies. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus. [17] Gat, J.R. and Gonfiantini, R., Eds. (1981) Stable Isotope Hydrology: Deuterium and Oxygen-18 in the Water Cycle. IAEA Technical Report Series #210, Vienna, 337. [18] IAEA (1992) Statistical Treatment of Data on Environmental Isotopes in Precipitation. Technical Report Series No. 331. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 781. [19] Coplen, T.B. and Huang, R. (2000) Stable Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Ratios for Selected Cities of the U.S. Geological Survey’s NASQAN and Benchmark Surface-Water Networks. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-160; 424. US Geological Survey, Denver.
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr00-160/pdf/ofr00-160.pdf [20] Froehlich, K., Kralik, M., Papesch, W., Rank, D., Scheifinger, H. and Stichler, W. (2008) Deuterium Excess in Precipitation in Alpine Regions—Moisture Cycling. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 44, 61-70.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10256010801887208 [21] Sharp, Z. (2007) Principles of Stable Isotope Geochemistry. Pearson Education, New Jersey. [22] Gat, J.R. (2005) Some Classical Concepts of Isotope Hydrology: Rayleigh Fractionation, Meteoric Water Lines, the Dansgaard Effects (Altitude, Latitude, Distance form Coast and Amount Effects) and d-Excess Parameter. In: Aggarawal, P.K., Gat, J.R. and Froehlich, K.F.O., Eds., Isotopes in the Water Cycle: Past, Present and Future of a Developing Science, IAEA, Springer, 127-137.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3023-1_10 [23] Kendall, C. and Coplen, T.B. (2001) Distribution of Oxygen-18 and Deuterium in River Waters across the United States. Hydrological Processes, 15, 1363-1393.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.217 [24] Gat, J.R., Bowser, C.J. and Kendall, C. (1994) The Contribution of Evaporation from the Great Lakes to the Continental Atmosphere: Estimate Based on Stable Isotope Data. Geophysical Research Letters, 21, 557-560.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/94GL00069
[1] Bowen, G.J., Ehleringer, J.R., Chesson, L.A., Stange, E. and Cerling, T.E. (2007) Stable Isotope Ratios of Tap Water in the Contiguous United States. Water Resources Research, 43, 1-12.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005186 [2] Hutson, S.S., Barber, N.L., Kenny, J.F., Linsey, K.S., Lumia, D.S. and Maupin, M.A. (2004) Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000. USGS Circular 1268. Geological Survey, Denver. [3] Adeloye, A.J., Nawaz, N.R. and Montaseri, M. (1999) Climate Change Water Resources Planning Impacts Incorporating Reservoir Surface Net Evaporation Fluxes: A Case Study. Water Resources Development, 15, 561-581.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900629948763 [4] Montaseri, M. and Adeloye, A.J. (2004) A Graphical Rule for Volumetric Evaporation Loss Correction in Reservoir Capacity-Yield-Performance Planning in Urmia Region, Iran. Water Resources Management, 18, 55-74.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:WARM.0000015389.70013.e4 [5] United States Census Bureau (2010) 2010 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau.
http://factfinder.census.gov [6] City of Columbus (2005) Department of Public Utilities 2005 Annual Report. City Council, Columbus. [7] Wikipedia (2010) Alum Creek Lake. 25 June 2010, 21:27 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Encyclopedia On-Line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum_Creek_Lake [8] Allen, G. (2011) An Analysis of the Fate and Transport of Nutrients in the Upper and Lower Scioto Watersheds of Ohio. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus. [9] Lis, G., Wassenaar, L.I. and Hendry, M.J. (2008) High-Precision Laser Spectroscopy D/H and 18O/16O Measurements of Microliter Natural Water Samples. Analytical Chemistry, 80, 287-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac701716q [10] Thompson, L.G., Mosley-Thompson, E., Brecher, H., Davis, M., León, B., Les, D., Lin, P.-N., Mashiotta, T. and Mountain, K. (2006) Abrupt Tropical Climate Change: Past and Present. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103, 10536-10543.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0603900103 [11] Craig, H. (1961) Isotopic Variations in Meteoric Waters. Science, 133, 1702-1703.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.133.3465.1702 [12] Merlivat, L. and Jouzel, J. (1979) Global Climatic Interpretation of the Deuterium-Oxygen 18 Relationship for Precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 84, 5029-5033.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JC084iC08p05029 [13] Jouzel, J., Merlivat, L. and Lorius, C. (1982) Deuterium Excess in an East Antarctic Ice Core Suggests Higher Relative Humidity at the Oceanic Surface during the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature, 299, 688-691.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/299688a0 [14] Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (2013) 1986-2011 Precipitation Records in Franklin County, Ohio, 1986-Present.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/newweather/stationinfo.asp?id=14 [15] National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2013) 2010-2011 Columbus Ohio Meteorological Data.
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/noaa/noaa_archive.php?reset=yes [16] Leslie, D. (2013) The Application of Stable Isotopes δ11B, δ18O, and δD in Hydrological and Geochemical Studies. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus. [17] Gat, J.R. and Gonfiantini, R., Eds. (1981) Stable Isotope Hydrology: Deuterium and Oxygen-18 in the Water Cycle. IAEA Technical Report Series #210, Vienna, 337. [18] IAEA (1992) Statistical Treatment of Data on Environmental Isotopes in Precipitation. Technical Report Series No. 331. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 781. [19] Coplen, T.B. and Huang, R. (2000) Stable Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Ratios for Selected Cities of the U.S. Geological Survey’s NASQAN and Benchmark Surface-Water Networks. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-160; 424. US Geological Survey, Denver.
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr00-160/pdf/ofr00-160.pdf [20] Froehlich, K., Kralik, M., Papesch, W., Rank, D., Scheifinger, H. and Stichler, W. (2008) Deuterium Excess in Precipitation in Alpine Regions—Moisture Cycling. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 44, 61-70.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10256010801887208 [21] Sharp, Z. (2007) Principles of Stable Isotope Geochemistry. Pearson Education, New Jersey. [22] Gat, J.R. (2005) Some Classical Concepts of Isotope Hydrology: Rayleigh Fractionation, Meteoric Water Lines, the Dansgaard Effects (Altitude, Latitude, Distance form Coast and Amount Effects) and d-Excess Parameter. In: Aggarawal, P.K., Gat, J.R. and Froehlich, K.F.O., Eds., Isotopes in the Water Cycle: Past, Present and Future of a Developing Science, IAEA, Springer, 127-137.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3023-1_10 [23] Kendall, C. and Coplen, T.B. (2001) Distribution of Oxygen-18 and Deuterium in River Waters across the United States. Hydrological Processes, 15, 1363-1393.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.217 [24] Gat, J.R., Bowser, C.J. and Kendall, C. (1994) The Contribution of Evaporation from the Great Lakes to the Continental Atmosphere: Estimate Based on Stable Isotope Data. Geophysical Research Letters, 21, 557-560.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/94GL00069