December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel The Pennsylvania State University Department of Geosciences Understanding Stream Water Physiochemical Properties and Dynamics in the Shaver’s Creek Watershed Karel Kletetschka Fall 2013 i December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel Abstract: Using bulk geochemistry, cation analysis, natural tracers, and hydro-mechanical models, the Shaver's Creek watershed was analyzed to determine the extent of groundwater-surface water interactions and were compared to those in Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory to help ultimately understand whether anthropogenic projects such as the construction of the lake Perez dam have an effect on them. Calcium and magnesium cation concentrations were measured and analyzed with respect to the distance from the stream and the data showed that there was less of both elements in the stream water. Temperature was used as a natural tracer and the data showed that the stream water at Shaver's Creek was noticeably cooler than the groundwater which suggests that there is little interaction between the groundwater and surface water however in Shale Hills, the data showed the opposite trend and the stream water was warmer which is more common at the time of collection since the sun would have warmed the upper layers of the stream. This difference suggests that in Shaver's Creek, where the lake Perez dam once was, there are legacy sediments that clog the pore spaces and subsequently reduce permeability. Chloride ion concentrations also showed that in Shaver's Creek there was little interaction between the two bodies on the same basis. Other analyses such were used to determine the water gradient and it was determined that the stream was a losing stream at the time due to a recent rainfall event prior to data collection however based on previous data the stream can be considered a gaining stream. Mixing model diagrams were used to compare the sites to precipitation as well as to further determine the extent of GW-SW interaction. The results strongly suggest that the extent of groundwater-surface water interaction in Shaver's Creek is minimal and comparison with Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory data indicates that this is likely due to legacy sediments that accumulated at the time when the lake ii December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel Perez dam was present in the Shaver's Creek area. Anthropogenic influences on GW-SW interactions are critical areas of study as they can have significant effects on the hyporheic zone, the ecology of the stream, water quality downstream(i.e. the Chesapeake Bay), and it can also have structural implications that must be considered for potential geotechnical or architectural projects that may take place there in the future. iii December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel Table of Contents I. Introduction and Background: ............................................................................................. 1 II. Methods: .............................................................................................................................. 5 i. ii. Study Area: ....................................................................................................................... 5 Field Methods ...................................................................................................................... 5 iii. Laboratory Methods: ....................................................................................................... 7 III. Results: ................................................................................................................................. 8 i. Field Results: .................................................................................................................... 8 ii. Laboratory Results: .......................................................................................................... 9 IV. Discussion: ......................................................................................................................... 11 V. Conclusion: ......................................................................................................................... 14 VI. References ......................................................................................................................... 15 iv December, 2013 1 2 I. Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel Introduction and Background: Quantifying groundwater-surface water interactions and their impact on the underlying 3 geology, transport of solutes and the health of ecosystems is an exigent task but can be 4 approximated using hydro-geochemical models and analysis. Differences in temperature between 5 groundwater and surface water can also be beneficial in characterizing their interaction and 6 oftentimes gaining streams will keep a stable sedimentary temperature while losing streams will 7 have a more fickle temperature distribution on the sediment as well as the surface water. 8 Groundwater and surface water interactions are also important in studying stream chemistry 9 because water contained in aquifers bears different chemical properties ranging from 10 composition, conductivity, and pH so analyzing its transport and exchange rate with stream 11 water is critical (Hoeksema et al., 1985). Measuring the differences in height of water to the 12 surface can be used to draw conclusions for the lateral hydromechanics of the water. Coupled 13 with depletion profiles for dissolved mineral cations, one can paint a much more clear picture of 14 the physiochemical dynamics and GW-SW interactions occurring in the area of interest. 15 Variable solute behavior in relation to discharge of water into a stream has been explored 16 by researchers for quite some time and two processes that are significant in these variability’s are 17 advective pumping and mechanical dispersion which are related to stream flow along 18 heterogeneous groundwater beds that direct distribution of groundwater pore flow paths and thus 19 subsurface solute discharge rates (Wörman et al., 2002) . Essentially, irregular groundwater beds 20 mean that as water flows along them there will be different mechanical effects based on the 21 topography which, determine where water will discharge more and thus where solute discharge 22 rates will be higher or lower. Several mathematical models exist including the Transient Storage 1 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 23 Model, a Log normal probability density function, First-order mass transfer relationships, 24 Diffusive exchange, Advective pumping model yet all of the models have shown only limited 25 success in predicting solute variability with flow patterns (Wörman et al., 2002) due to the 26 plethora of other influential factors and conditions that exist in each aquifer and the fact that 27 groundwater surface-water interactions are often poorly accounted for in these models. 28 Another important quantification in understanding geochemistry of streams is that of 29 weathering rates. Weathering (dissolution) of bedrock results in the discharge of dissolved 30 solutes and can significantly affect water chemistry. Using factors such as climate, biota, 31 porosity, and atmospheric exposure to understand and quantify weathering will consequently 32 help quantify and understand chemical characteristics of water including pH, conductivity, and 33 composition. Vegetation will have an effect on CO2 levels as photosynthesis fixes CO2 , and 34 furthermore, vegetation can increase the concentration of non-essential elements through 35 transpiration while taking up essential nutrients such as potassium and calcium. There are other 36 factors that should be considered as well such as closest factory’s etc. when it comes to 37 monitoring Carbon. 38 Climate plays a significant role in studying ground-water surface water interactions and 39 temperature in particular is often used as a tool in monitoring these interactions. Heat is a natural 40 tracer that can be used for analyzing ground-water surface water exchange. As previously 41 mentioned, methods for quantifying these ground-water surface water interactions have had 42 limited success as seepage meters are erratic in flowing waters such as streams and rivers and 43 techniques based on Darcy’s law rely on hydraulic conductivity data which is often only an 44 estimate due to great variability (Anibas 2009). If the heat transfer method, coupled with energy 45 balance calculations are done correctly then it may be a more useful technique in quantifying 2 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 46 ground-water surface water interactions and that is why monitoring the ambient temperature and 47 incorporating it into these temperature based studies may be important. Water levels and 48 chemical profiles can also be used to assist in understanding the behavior of natural waters since 49 they are related to porosity as well as mineral dissolution. These, as well as the tracer chloride 50 ions and temperature values are quite useful in calculating the general water flux from ground 51 water to surface water or vice-versa (Gleeson et al. 2009) so surface water temperature due to 52 current climate is a large factor. 53 Anthropogenic influences such as the creation of dams can have significant effects on the 54 area in which they were constructed for example there is the issue of runoff sediments that 55 become trapped in the dams and build up; they are known among geologists as legacy sediments. 56 These legacy sediments likely play a significant role in erosion rates as well as water quality 57 downstream (Merritts et al. 2006). Phosphorus in particular has shown to be transported with this 58 eroded sediment raising concerns about pollution as phosphorus often causes increased algal 59 growth and subsequently less sunlight penetration and dissolved oxygen concentrations 60 (Sotomayor-Ramírez et al. 2004). 61 Shaver's Creek and the Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory are ideal locations for 62 determining the behavior and chemistry of natural waters as well as the influence of man-made 63 dams on such processes. Central Pennsylvania climate has an average annual temperature of 64 about 15°C (National Climate Data Center 2013) and roughly 39.77 inches of precipitation 65 annually for years 1981-2010 which plays a role in water levels as well as GW-SW mechanics 66 and chemistry. In the Shaver's creek watershed, channel morphology may differ as streams 67 transition from 3rd to 1st order streams as pressure and flow rate at the stream beds will differ, 68 however the quantification of these phenomena that has yet to be fully outlined. The primary 3 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 69 lithology of the area can be characterized by mostly Calcareous shale, Limestone, Quartzite, 70 Sandstone, and Shale. The area where the majority of the surface water is concentrated has 71 mostly Shale and Limestone which has implications on the mineralogy of the water. Limestone 72 and shale are relatively easy to erode as opposed to sandstone for example and this means that 73 the streams will have a higher concentration of calcium ions from the limestone/calcium 74 carbonate (Boynton et al., 1966) and possibly traces of hydrous aluminum phyllosilicates, iron, 75 magnesium and other cations in differing concentration from the shale (Velde et al., 1995). 76 Weathering of bedrock can be significant in ground water surface water interactions because the 77 dissolved minerals and particulate matter could increase sedimentation and consequently clog the 78 streambed; preventing interactions between ground and surface water to some degree. Variability 79 in Mg in soil water has much to do with the kinetics of clay mineral dissolution and rainfall 80 intensity also has an effect on weathering by spurring water-rock interactions (Jin et al., 2011) 81 One method of observing ground water surface water interactions and the weathering of 82 minerals is to analyze ground water and surface water samples for cations characteristic to 83 certain minerals. Much of the Valley and Ridge province of Pennsylvania has an abundance of 84 Illite and Chlorite which are magnesium silicates that when weathered/reduced will release Mg+, 85 K+, Si+, Fe+, Al+ (Jin et al., 2010). Looking at depletion profiles of these cationic species will 86 shed light on the type of ground water-surface water interactions that are occurring as well as 87 potential weathering patterns. Calcium and alkalinity profiles along the M5 transect as it goes 88 farther from the stream can shed light on limestone dissolution as well as the porosity of the 89 stream bed-rocks. Analyzing surface soil samples will be beneficial in understanding the role of 90 water in changing the soil chemistry and the hydrological properties of the underlying geological 91 materials. Once these characteristics are understood in both Shaver's Creek and Shale Hills, 4 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 92 comparisons can be drawn that could shed light on the effects the dam had on the area that are 93 still affecting the Shaver's Creek watershed but would only be seen in Shale Hills to a lesser 94 extent. 95 II. Methods: 96 i. Study Area: 97 Shaver's Creek is a tributary second order stream that is located in Huntingdon County, 98 Pennsylvania within the Valley and Ridge province in central Pennsylvania. The stream is 99 situated near the lake Perez basin and consists mainly of soil developed from the Marcellus Shale 100 at coordinates 40°39'52.09"N 77°54'52.90"W and Elevation~250m with mostly grasslands. 101 102 103 ii. Field Methods A total of seven water samples were taken from Shaver’s creek watershed in September, 104 2013 and they included groundwater wells as well as the stream adjacent to them. The site 105 consisted of mainly grasslands with thick vegetation along all the various transects. Unfiltered 106 aliquots were tested from the sites mostly along transect M and N(Figure 1) towards the stream 107 at 40°39'52.09"N 77°54'52.90"W , and were analyzed for Temperature and pH using a pH probe 108 kit with standards (Mettler Toledo™). Electrical conductivity was measured at each site ((Multi- 109 Parameter PCTeste ™ 35). Of the seven sites, six were ground water wells previously installed 110 each 2-8 meters deep with a 0.15m diameter and the last site was the stream centered between 111 wells M4 and M5. Water samples were collected from the wells using a peristaltic pump as well 112 as a 0.45micron filter. The Well 4 water sample had to be hand filtered due to heavy particulate 113 matter and Well M5 had an unknown layer of matter that had to be penetrated between the 114 outside surface and the start of groundwater. The depth of the surface of water for each well was 5 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 115 measured using a portable depth meter (Solinst 101 Water Level Meter), however well N6 failed 116 to give a concise reading. Filtered samples were collected for analysis of cations, anions, and 117 alkalinity and were stored in separate acid-prewashed HDPE plastic vials. Samples collected for 118 cation analysis were acidified on site with three drops of concentrated nitric acid(16M). Samples 119 collected for alkalinity testing were taken in vials without headspace air and capped. Two 120 samples were collected for DIC and DOC analysis; DIC vials were acid-washed and combusted 121 previously and capped with seals and septa. DOC samples were acidified using 3 drops of 122 Hydrochloric Acid(1M) in the field. All samples were kept cool on ice as they were transported 123 to the laboratory for analysis. 124 Two surface soil samples were collected: Sample 1 at 40.66574°N 77.91087°W near the 125 stream lower bank and Sample 2 was collected at 40.66547°N 77.90990°W and placed in plastic 126 bags to be transported to the laboratory. Soil cores were also taken at various depths at various 127 locations surrounding Shaver's creek, Shale hills, and Katy creek. Once at the laboratory, all 128 water samples were stored at 4°C and soils samples were allowed to dry. 129 130 131 An important principle in quantifying ground water surface water interactions is Darcy’s law which describes fluid flow through a porous medium and is described as: ๐โ ๐ = −๐พ ๐๐ (Eq.1) 132 where q is the flux(m/s) and K is the hydraulic conductivity, dh is the hydraulic head difference 133 and dl is the distance however many other forms exist that rely on different data such as 134 permeability and pressure change (Whitaker et al., 1986). The depths measured were correct to a 135 known datum to estimate hydraulic head which was used for the three-point problem strategy 6 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 136 that was utilized to determine the direction of groundwater flow as well as the hydraulic 137 gradient(variation of Eq. 1) at the time of sample collection. 138 iii. Laboratory Methods: 139 Sample from both Shaver's Creek watershed and Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory 140 were analyzed for comparison. Alkalinity was measured and calculated using a titrating device 141 and sulfuric acid (1.6N). Alkalinity values were calculated using: 142 143 Alk (ppm CaCO3) = ((2B-C) x N x 50 000) / V (Eq. 2) (American Public Health Association, 1915) 144 Cation concentration was measured using an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission 145 spectrometer (ICP-AES), or optical emission spectrometer. The specific instrument used was the 146 Perkin-Elmer Optima 5300 UV. Anion concentration was measured using a dionex ion 147 chromatograph (Dionex ICS 2500). To measure isotope abundance in the water samples using 148 Off-Axis-Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS). 149 Soil cores sections were extracted at various depths (80-90cm, 130-140cm, 190- 150 200cm,280-290cm). The two soil samples along with the cores were manually broken apart to 151 prepare for homogenization via riffle splitting (~5 per sample) and sieving. Lithium metaborate 152 fusion is a technique used to dissolve solid samples and it is often used for geological sampling 153 of soils due to reliability and the fact that the high concentration salt environment dampens any 154 inter-sample matrix differences. Sieved samples were finally prepared for lithium metaborate 155 fusion by mixing lithium metaborate(1g) and a soil sample (100mg) to be placed into a high 156 temperature furnace (900°C) in small graphite crucibles. After heating the samples to 900°C for 7 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 157 approximately 10 minutes the molten beads from the crucibles were placed in a 5% nitric acid 158 solution and diluted for elemental analysis(ICP-AES). 159 Soil samples were also tested using X-ray diffraction techniques based upon Braggs law: 160 (Eq. 3) 161 The various soil samples were dissolved in de-ionized water and transferred via plastic pipettes 162 onto small glass slides (75mm by 25mm) until fully covered. The slides were allowed to dry for 163 a period of ~1 week and then tested for structural characteristics with X-ray diffraction (Titan X- 164 FEG). 165 III. 166 i. 167 168 169 Results: Field Results: The data from well M4 seemed to be inconsistent with the rest of the samples and perhaps collecting more samples would be beneficial. The pH of the wells in Shaver's Creek doesn't vary in any particular pattern with respect 170 to the distance from the stream (Figure 14) however the groundwater samples were generally 171 lower in pH than the surface water samples. For Shale Hills there also is not a noticeable trend in 172 the pH vs. distance graph yet the groundwater samples are also lower in pH than the stream 173 water samples. Overall, the Shale Hills pH values was noticeably higher than for Shaver's Creek 174 in both stream water and groundwater. 175 Temperature measurements in Shaver's Creek showed that Well M4 had a noticeably 176 larger value than the rest of the wells including the stream water. The stream water temperature 177 was curiously lower than the groundwater temperatures. In Shale Hills, the temperature values 8 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 178 showed little variability on all the samples tested. The stream water had the highest value of the 179 tested aliquots in Shale Hills. Overall, the Shale Hills temperatures were all lower than the 180 Shaver's Creek Temperatures (Figure 15). 181 Conductivity measurements were taken on site and proved to all be higher than the 182 stream water conductivity except for well M10.(see figures 2,3). The depths of surface of the 183 water for each well was recorded however well N6 failed to give a proper reading. 184 The three-point problem showed that the Shaver's Creek stream was a losing stream at 185 the time of data collection, however average water level data over a longer period of time for the 186 area suggests that it is in fact a gaining stream(figure 15). 187 188 189 ii. Laboratory Results: Stream water alkalinity values tended to be lower than the nearby groundwater values . 190 From 0-10 meters from the stream water the alkalinities were quite variable (Figure 3) 191 ICP-AES results for the water samples showed concentrations(ug/mL) of dissolved cations: Al, 192 Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Si, Sr, Ti, Zr. Phosphorous, Titatium, and Zirconium all had no 193 variability in concentration across all of the different sites including those of Shale Hills, and 194 Katy Creek(Table 2). 195 Concentration of calcium showed a cluster of similar concentrations near the stream in 196 Shaver's Creek perhaps suggesting a separate store within the catchment (Kirchner 2003, Figure 197 5). For both Shaver's Creek and Shale Hills the stream water had a lower concentration than the 198 groundwater. Magnesium concentration also showed that values away from the stream were 9 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 199 higher than the stream water concentrations in both the Shaver's Creek watershed and the Shale 200 Hills critical zone observatory.(figure 6) 201 The anion analysis showed that chlorine concentrations were very different in the stream 202 of Shaver's Creek compared to the nearby groundwater wells(Figure 16), and in Shale Hills on 203 the other hand the values are rather similar to each other. The concentrations in Shale Hills were 204 all lower than those in Shaver's Creek. Oxygen 18 isotopes showed little variability in both areas 205 however the stream values for Shale Hills were both somewhat higher than the groundwater 206 wells. 207 Non-purgiable dissolved carbon(NPDC), dissolved organic carbon(mg/L), and dissolved 208 inorganic carbon data sets for Shaver's Creek can be seen in figure 7 and shows that as you get 209 father away from the stream, there is more dissolved organic carbon. 210 The data for the soil samples fused via lithium metaborate show significant variation 211 between the soil samples taken near the stream compared to the samples taken farther away. Soil 212 1 refers to the sample taken near the stream, and soil 2 refers to the sample taken farther down 213 the transect. Specific value can be seen in figure 8. The x-ray diffractograms for Shaver's Creek 214 core M5 80-90cm had significantly less intensity in the illite peak than the complementary M11 215 80-90cm peak. 216 The hydrogeology(Three-point problem) results from Shaver's Creek showed that the 217 stream was a losing stream at the time of data collection with a hydraulic gradient of 0.44. The 218 XRD analysis yielded probable distributions of minerals in the core samples taken as well as the 219 surface soil samples(figures 9, 10). The XRD from the deep core(200-210) at Shaver's Creek 220 shows a more prominent illite primary and secondary peak. 10 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 221 222 IV. 223 Discussion: Since the magnesium concentration results versus distance from the stream show that 224 there is a higher concentration of magnesium in the ground water as the distance from the stream 225 increases, it is likely that there is little interaction between the ground water and the surface 226 water as researchers such as Sakthivadivel have concluded that sediments can often clog pore 227 spaces and thus decrease permeability. 228 The field results for temperature in Shaver's Creek showed that the stream water 229 temperature was curiously lower than the groundwater which suggests that there is not much 230 interaction between the two since stream water is generally higher in temperature due to sunlight 231 warming the upper layer. In Shale Hills however the stream water temperature was slightly 232 higher than the groundwater samples suggesting that in Shale Hills there is more groundwater- 233 surface water interaction. Since overall the temperature of Shale Hills water was lower than 234 Shaver's Creek water, there is a strong possibility that the stream water in SC was in fact water 235 that flowed in from Shale Hills which is why it was cooler. The temperature data suggests that 236 there is likely more interaction between groundwater and surface water in Shale Hills than in 237 Shaver's Creek which could be interpreted as being a result of the dam that existed there causing 238 legacy sediments to accumulate, thus clogging the pores in the bedrock (Sakthivadivel et al. 239 1970) 240 Chlorine, or Chloride ion rather is an excellent tracer element and examining differences 241 in concentration can help understand whether there are groundwater-surface water 242 interactions(Gleeson et al. 2009). The data showed that in Shaver's Creek, the chloride ion 243 concentration was much noticeably higher than the adjacent ground water well concentrations 11 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 244 which suggests that there is little interaction between the two systems or there is a possible 245 contamination salt contamination in the stream. In Shale Hills, the values were more similar to 246 each other however they were all lower than the Shaver's Creek values which suggests that the 247 Shale Hills water isn't directly flowing towards Shaver's Creek or that there is a source of 248 Chloride that is only present near Shaver's Creek. 249 The measured pH values in the two regions show very different values for the two 250 streams which would may suggest that there is some mineral dissolution (perhaps due to legacy 251 sediments) that causes the pH to decrease as it reaches the Shaver's Creek watershed. 252 Alkalinity and calcium concentration as the distance from the stream increases showed 253 very similar patterns which reinforces the integrity of the data as they are both based upon 254 calcium carbonate concentrations in the water(Boynton 1966). 255 Well M4 in the Shaver's creek transect shows outlying data across many different 256 analyses which suggests error in collection and that more data may be needed. This is important 257 since that was the only well sampled that was on the other side of the stream. M4 data could have 258 reinforced or contradicted conclusions made based on the other wells. 259 The three-point problem showed that the Shaver's Creek stream was a losing stream at 260 the time of data collection, however the data was collected following a significant rainfall event 261 which could have driven the direction of the water flow towards the groundwater(Brady 2008). 262 The dissolved organic carbon(DOC) data in Shaver's Creek showed more DOC in the 263 wells farther from the stream which suggests that perhaps the water farther from the stream is 264 less mobile and thus has more dissolved organic carbon due to vegetation or any organic material 265 having a longer time to break down. 12 December, 2013 266 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel When looking at the ratios of Mg:Ca and Na:K, it is evident that the stream water of the 267 Shaver's Creek watershed has a significantly higher Na:K ratio than the groundwater 268 samples(Figure4). Perhaps this is due to illite dissolution(Hower, 1900) due to weathering in the 269 stream that would cause K ions to flow into the groundwater, particularly after the rainfall event 270 that occurred prior to data collection. Another explanation could simply be differences in 271 lithology between the groundwater farther from the stream as well a lack of significant 272 interactions between the stream water and groundwater; in other words the mineralogy of the 273 groundwater farther from the wells may have more illite which would decrease the Na:K ratio 274 and the dissolved potassium ions may not be able to permeate into the stream. XRD analysis 275 shows that illite is indeed a prominent element in the deeper soils of the area. The XRD 276 diffractograms of well M5 did indeed have significantly less intensity in the illite peak than well 277 M11, which was farther from the stream which supports the idea of less illite dissolution in the 278 stream. The Na:K and Mg:Ca relations were also examined in the average precipitation in the 279 region and they show that the large ratio in the surface water of Shaver's Creek isn't related to 280 precipitation in terms of Na:K values since their values are significantly different. The Mg:Ca 281 ratio's however were nearly identical between the surface water and the average precipitation 282 suggesting that the water from the rainfall event was predominantly still in the stream. Another 283 factor to consider is road salt, which would increase the sodium concentration in the stream 284 water. The data showed that there was both more sodium, and less potassium which advocates 285 both the road salt contamination theory and potentially the less illite dissolution in the stream. 286 Magnesium and calcium concentrations may have to do with dolomite dissolution (Velde 1995). 13 December, 2013 287 288 V. Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel Conclusion: The bulk geochemistry of the Shaver's Creek watershed shows that stream water and 289 groundwater have significant differences such as in their Na:K ratio, which is likely due to 290 sodium containing road salt getting into the stream but could also be due to illite dissolution near 291 the bottom of the stream flowing into the groundwater; raising the GW concentrations. Much of 292 the specific chemical profiles showed that there is less interaction between groundwater and 293 surface water than could be expected and this is reinforced by the temperature values. 294 Temperature is an excellent tracer and in Shaver's Creek, the value for the stream water is lower 295 than all of the groundwater values which indicates that there is not much interaction between the 296 two bodies. This is likely due to legacy sediments that arose from the historic dam (Merritts et al. 297 2006) clogging the pores between the groundwater and the stream water. One method of 298 rationalizing the lower temperature is to consider Shale Hills which generally had lower values 299 for temperature. Topography indicates that water from Shale Hills may be flowing towards 300 Shaver's Creek and that could explain why the temperature of the stream is lower. The 301 temperature in the stream water of Shale Hills is higher than the groundwater which is the 302 common trend as sunlight tends to warm the surface of water. This indicates that there is likely 303 more interaction between the ground water and surface water of Shale Hills where the legacy 304 sediments would not be present. X-ray diffraction allowed for the testing for certain minerals and 305 revealed why certain elements may have been present for example the peak intensities for illite 306 were much larger in the well that was farther from the stream than the one that was closer. 307 Anion concentrations showed that in Shaver's Creek there was a very noticeable 308 difference in chloride concentration compared to the wells which suggests that there is little 309 interaction between the groundwater and surface water or that there is an outside contamination 14 December, 2013 Pennsylvania State University Kletetschka, Karel 310 such as road salt. The fact that the values are all smaller for Shale Hills and don't vary from GW 311 to SW suggest the former. 312 Understanding ground water-surface water interactions in Central Pennsylvania can be 313 pivotal for various reasons including understanding the water quality downstream and in the 314 Chesapeake Bay. The Shaver's Creek watershed is very important in that it used to be a dam, so 315 it has the potential to shed light on how anthropogenic influences such as the construction of lake 316 Perez can effect water chemistry and biological systems. It has been documented various times 317 that the region where this exchange occurs: the hyporheic zone, has an important impact on an 318 ecological system. Perhaps the key to understanding/controlling water pollutants lies in 319 anthropogenic influences such as the building of dams and the accumulation of legacy sediments 320 that hinder interaction between the ground water and in many cases increase erosion rates. 321 Eventually, a model to explain the hydromechanics and geochemistry of stream systems such as 322 this one may be perfected. 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 VI. References Anibas, C., Fleckenstein, J. H., Volze, N., Buis, K., Verhoeven, R., Meire, P., & Batelaan, O. (2009). Transient or steadyโstate? 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