Separation of New and Old Waters Using Specific Conductance-Time of Contact Relationships of Flows

Abstract

The separation of flows using the geochemical tracer SC (specific conductance) has been utilized as a first step to determine the flow characteristics of a study basin. Through the utilization of a non-steady state equation of mass balance, the incorporation of the relative contributions of surface and sub-surface flows to the total flow, and the effect of long and SC varying rainfall, a physically based function of new rainwater was determined. Experiments were made to this effect and an actual rainfall event was used in separation of new and old rainwater. The result, of the separation yielded contradictory results as compared to those using a non-chemical tracer.