Iodine-129 for determining the origin of salinity in groundwater in Pampanga, Philippines.

Assessing groundwater vulnerability from salinity contamination is vital and relevant to meet the increasing demand for freshwater. Iodine-129 (129I, half-life = 15.7 million years), a radioisotope of iodine, was used as an environmental tracer for the possible origin of salinization in groundwater (e.g., natural rock weathering, evaporated water, seawater, brine fossil water, contamination). In July 2017 (wet season), thirty-two (32) water samples were taken from production wells of different localities in Pampanga, a province in the Philippines that relies heavily on groundwater for freshwater sources. Hydrogeochemical (mainly Cl) and stable water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) were able to identify seven samples potentially affected by seawater intrusion. The salinity origin of these samples was investigated using iodine-129 and iodine-127 isotopes by generating two graphs: 129I vs. chloride and 129I/127I ratio vs. 1/127I. 129I vs. Cl graph was capable of showing a clear distinction between different salinity origins. Five out of the seven samples were being affected by evaporated water, one sample from possible wastewater, and one sample from brine fossil water. A conceptual model was produced to summarize the results. Compiled end-members (e.g., natural brine, seawater, modern rain) were plotted in the 129I/127I ratio vs. 1/127I graph to show the interaction between two recharge sources. The results of this study will be helpful to the government, civil society, and other organizations for monitoring, policymaking, and management of the groundwater and the subsurface formations that will be crucial to continuously supply the freshwater needs of the present and future generation.

Environmental isotopes and major ions for tracing leachate contamination from a municipal landfill in Metro Manila, Philippines.

The surface water and groundwater sources in the vicinity of a major municipal landfill in Metro Manila, Philippines were investigated to determine contamination by landfill leachate. Tritium, stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, and major ions in the leachate and freshwater within the landfill environment were determined. The leachate contained elevated tritium activities and high concentrations of sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium. The concentrations of tritium and the leachate related ions in the affected surface water were significantly higher than the non-impacted water and correlated strongly with distance from the leachate source, following a negative exponential relationship, providing evidence of leachate transport along the affected surface water. Enrichment in deuterium was exhibited by leachate in the holding pond but not by the effluent leachate. The stable isotope signature of leachate is masked in the surface water due to dilution by stream water. Dilution similarly masked the effect of leachate in the shallow groundwater which was strongly influenced by precipitation. Evidence of leachate contamination in the deep groundwater was sporadic. In isolated cases, elevated tritium concentrations coincided with enrichment in deuterium. In the same case, leachate related ions, Na, Ca, Mg, and Cl, varied with rainfall but generally increased from 2003 to 2009. The effect on the groundwater of methane produced within the landfill was seen in the depletion in deuterium in groundwater in the drier months.