Sources and behavior of perchlorate in a shallow Chalk aquifer under military (World War I) and agricultural influences

Feifei Cao; Neil C Sturchio; Patrick Ollivier; Nicolas Devau; Linnea J Heraty; Jessy Jaunat

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123072

Sources and behavior of perchlorate in a shallow Chalk aquifer under military (World War I) and agricultural influences

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Nov 5:398:123072. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123072. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Authors

Feifei Cao¹, Neil C Sturchio², Patrick Ollivier³, Nicolas Devau³, Linnea J Heraty², Jessy Jaunat⁴

Affiliations

¹ Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne - GEGENAA - EA 3795, 2 Esplanade Roland Garros, 51100, Reims, France. Electronic address: feifei.cao@etudiant.univ-reims.fr.
² Department of Earth Sciences, University of Delaware, 255 Academy Street, Newark, DE, 19716, United States.
³ BRGM, 3 av. C. Guillemin, BP 36009, 45060, Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
⁴ Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne - GEGENAA - EA 3795, 2 Esplanade Roland Garros, 51100, Reims, France.

PMID: 32768836
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123072

Abstract

Perchlorate (ClO₄^ö) has been detected at concentrations of concern for human health on a large scale in groundwater used for drinking water supplies in NE France. Two sources are suspected: a military source related to World War I (WWI) and an agricultural source related to past use of Chilean nitrate fertilizers. The sources and behavior of ClO₄^ö have been studied in groundwater and rivers near the Reims city, by monitoring monthly the major ions and ClO₄- concentrations for two years (2017-2019), and by measuring the isotopic composition of ClO₄^ö and NO₃^ö in water samples. ClO₄^ö was detected throughout the study area with high concentrations (> 4 μg⋅L^-1) detected mainly downgradient of the Champagne Mounts, where large quantities of ammunition were used, stored and destroyed during and after WWI. A WWI military origin of ClO₄- is inferred from isotopic analysis and groundwater ages. Different tendencies of ClO₄- variation are observed and interpreted by a combination of ClO₄- concentrations, aquifer functioning and historical investigations, revealing major sources of ClO₄- (e.g., unexploded ordnance, ammunition destruction sites) and its transfer mechanisms in the aquifer. Finally, we show that concentrations of ClO₄^ö in groundwater seems unlikely to decrease in the short- to medium-term.

Keywords: Chilean nitrate fertilizer; Groundwater; Isotope; Perchlorate; World War I.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't