Topical Collection: International Year of Groundwater-managing future societal and environmental challenges.

Groundwater's role in maintaining the well-being of the planet is increasingly acknowledged. Only recently has society recognised groundwater as a key component of the water cycle. To improve public understanding and the proper use of groundwater, the hydrogeological community must expand its efforts in groundwater assessment, management, and communication. The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) intends to help achieve the United Nation's water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the adoption of innovative hydrogeological strategies. This essay introduces a topical collection that encapsulates IAH's 2022 'Year for Groundwater'.

Le rôle des eaux souterraines dans le maintien du bien-être de la planète est de plus en plus reconnu. Ce n'est que récemment que la société a reconnu les eaux souterraines comme un élément clé du cycle de l'eau. Pour améliorer la compréhension du public et l'utilisation appropriée des eaux souterraines, la communauté hydrogéologique doit étendre ses efforts en matière d'évaluation, de gestion des eaux souterraines et de communication à leur sujet. L'Association Internationale des Hydrogéologues (AIH) entend contribuer à la réalisation des objectifs du développement durable (ODDs) des Nations unies liés à l'eau par l'adoption de stratégies hydrogéologiques innovantes. Cet essai présente une collection thématique qui résume l''Année pour les eaux souterraines' 2022 de l'AIH.

El papel de las aguas subterráneas para mantener el bienestar del planeta está cada vez más reconocido. Sólo recientemente la sociedad ha reconocido que las aguas subterráneas son un componente clave del ciclo del agua. Para mejorar la comprensión pública y el uso adecuado de las aguas subterráneas, la comunidad hidrogeológica debe aumentar sus esfuerzos en materia de evaluación, gestión y comunicación de las aguas subterráneas. La Asociación Internacional de Hidrogeólogos (AIH) pretende contribuir a la concreción de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con el agua mediante la adopción de estrategias hidrogeológicas innovadoras. Este artículo presenta una colección temática que engloba el 2022 como 'Año Internacional para las Aguas Subterráneas' de la AIH.

O papel das águas subterrâneas na manutenção do bem-estar do planeta é cada vez mais reconhecido. Só recentemente a sociedade reconheceu as águas subterrâneas como um componente chave do ciclo da água. Para melhorar a compreensão pública e o uso adequado das águas subterrâneas, a comunidade hidrogeológica deve expandir seus esforços na avaliação, gestão e comunicação das águas subterrâneas. A Associação Internacional de Hidrogeólogos (AIH) pretende ajudar a alcançar os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) das Nações Unidas relacionados à água por meio da adoção de estratégias hidrogeológicas inovadoras. Este ensaio apresenta uma coleção tópica que encapsula o 'Ano para as Águas Subterrâneas' de 2022 da AIH.

Identifying local and regional groundwater in basins: chemical and stable isotopic attributes of multivariate classification of hydrochemical data, the Lower Virgin River Basin, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, U.S.A.

In the Basin and Range Province of the Southwestern U.S.A., deep carbonate groundwater has been suggested as a significant source to many overlying basin-fill alluvial aquifer systems. Notwithstanding, testing this hypothesis is limited by obtaining data from such considerable depths and complex geology. This study uses δ2H and δ18O data from springs, rivers, and wells tapping shallow basin-fill groundwater to test the hydrochemical interpretation of deep regional carbonate groundwater flow into the basin-fill aquifers. Stable isotopic and major ion attributes of hydrochemical facies suggest basin-fill alluvial groundwater of the Lower Virgin River Basin is a mixture of precipitation recharge within the Lower Virgin River Basin or the Clover and Escalante Desert Basin northwards, and the deep carbonate flow. The data support the conclusions that in the Lower Virgin River Basin, deep carbonate groundwater is an important source to the alluvial aquifer system and likely accounts for approximately 50% of the alluvial aquifer groundwater. Na+, K+, and SO42- increase in the basin-fill alluvial groundwaters outside the Virgin River floodplain appears to be related with upwelling of deep regional groundwater, and indicating that the chemical character of the basin-fill alluvial groundwaters are related to the deeper flow systems.

Sub-Saharan African ground water protection-building on international experience.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces significant challenges in dealing with ground water pollution. These countries can look to successes and missteps on other continents to help choose their own individual paths to ensuring reliable and clean supplies of ground water. In the large view, sub-Saharan Africa can define specific levels of acceptable risk in water quality that drive cleanup efforts and are amenable to acceptance across national and geographic boundaries. Ground water quality databases must be expanded, and data must be available in an electronic form that is flexible, expandable, and uniform, and that can be used over wide geographic areas. Guidance from other continents is available on well construction, sampling and monitoring, interim remediation, technical impracticability, monitored natural attenuation, and many specific issues such as how to deal with small waste generators and septic contamination of water supply wells. It is important to establish a common African view on the appropriateness of other nations' ground water quality guidance for African issues, economic conditions, and community circumstances. Establishing numerical, concentration-based, water quality action levels for pollutants in ground water, which many neighboring African nations could hold comparable, would set the stage for risk-based remediation of contaminated sites. Efforts to gain public, grass-roots understanding and support for stable and balanced enforcement of standards are also key. Finally, effective capacity building in the region could be an eventual solution to ground water quality problems; with increased numbers of trained environmental professionals, ground water throughout the region can be protected and contaminated sites cleaned up.