Modelling seasonal variations in nitrate and sulphate concentrations in a vulnerable alluvial aquifer

The Eisden-Meeswijk region in Belgium has been affected by mining subsidence due to the deep coal mining activities. Groundwater levels in the alluvial plain of the Meuse River are maintained below the ground surface by drainage installations and municipal well fields. A correlation between the water level in the Meuse River and the variation in nitrate and sulphate concentrations in the aquifer has been observed. A transient groundwater model is developed for the period May 1998-May 2002 and advective transport simulations have been carried out using this model. During dry periods, the major groundwater flow is directed towards the Meuse River, thereby feeding the river. During wet periods, however, groundwater flows in the opposite direction. Due to these variations in groundwater flow direction and to the extraction of groundwater, zones of higher solute concentration exist of which the position and extension vary both spatially and temporally.