T56 Urban Geochemistry (Posters)

Sunday, 9 October 2022
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Exhibit Hall F

STABLE HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES IN TAP WATERS FROM PROVO AND OREM (UTAH, USA)

Paper number: T56-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

To assess the spatial and seasonal variability in the stable isotope composition of domestic waters from Provo and Orem (Utah, USA), we collected 308 samples of tap water and analyzed them for their δ2H and δ18O. Samples were collected at ~80 households in ~20 different neighborhoods in the fall and winter of 2017, and in the spring and summer of 2018. To investigate the major source(s) of domestic water for the two cities, we also compared the tap water compositions with those of the major local rivers, Utah Lake, local meteoric precipitation, and 111 groundwater wells obtained in a study conducted in 2014-2016.

Tap water δ2H and δ18O show low spatial and temporal variability, suggesting a single, isotopically homogeneous domestic water source for the neighborhoods throughout the year. Average (±1 sd) tap water δ2H and δ18O (vs. V-SMOW) in the fall (δ2H=-119.6±1.2‰; δ18O=-16.25±0.37‰), winter (δ2H=-119.6±1.2‰; δ18O=-16.34±0.26‰), spring (δ2H=-119.8±0.8‰; δ18O=-16.25±0.43‰), and summer (δ2H=-120.1±1.6‰; δ18O=-16.19±0.34‰) are all indistinguishable or similar to each other and to the average values of the Provo River (δ2H=-118.8±0.9‰; δ18O=-16.07±0.32‰). In turn, the average δ-values of the Provo River are similar to those of the groundwater wells (δ2H=-123.0±4.7‰; δ18O=-16.33±0.87‰) and cold-season (i.e., December-March) meteoric precipitation (δ2H=-122.8±28.6‰; δ18O=-16.13±3.23‰). These observations indicate that snowmelt-fed groundwater is the major water source for the Provo River and that the river and/or the groundwater wells are the major source of domestic water for the Provo and Orem neighborhoods. In addition, tap water δ2H and δ18O plot on or close to the local meteoric water line, suggesting no evaporative loss in the water reservoirs and in the distribution lines. By establishing a connection between tap (drinking) waters and local environmental waters, the results of this study have implications for forensic applications of human tissue provenance and geolocation.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-377460

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