Tracing mineral water in the artesian karst aquifer of Stuttgart (SW Germany)

摘要

The artesian mineral springs in the city of Stuttgart are discharged from a complex regional karst system in Triassic carbonate rocks. The mineral water had already been used in Roman times and is still used today for cures and in three leisure pools. Since 1984, contamination with chlorinated solvents in very low concentrations has been observed in some springs. Within the framework of a long-term research program, two multi tracer tests were carried out in the catchment of the springs in order to investigate the hydraulic properties of the karst aquifer and the mechanisms of contaminant transport. The fluorescent dyes Naphthionate, Eosine and Pyranine as well as microspheres and Lycopodium spores were used as tracers. The best results were obtained with Naphthionate while Pyranine was completely decayed in the groundwa-ter. The results of the tracer tests are essential both for risk assessment and for developing protection strategies.