CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Athanasopoulos, P.; Hendry, M.J.; and Wassenaar, L.I.
Date : 2008.
Title : The use of stable isotope techniques to assess the regional hydrology of the Southern Okanagan Basin.
Publication : One Watershed – One Water Conference. British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association and the Okanagan Basin Water Board. October 21 to 23, 2008. Kelowna, British Columbia.
Issue : Conference Proceedings
Page(s) : 116.
Abstract
A rapidly increasing population in the Okanagan Basin is expected to put additional stress on surface water and groundwater systems in the region. As a result, important issues such as water supply and demand, surface water and groundwater protection, surface water-groundwater interaction, and water quality will need to be addressed. The use of stable isotopes, particularly when coupled with geochemical and physical parameters, is an effective method of addressing these issues in a region of complex hydrological, hydrogeological and climatological systems. Here we present the results of two years of research conducted in the southern Okanagan Basin, where isotopic methods were used to assess the regional hydrogeology of the southern Okanagan Basin, and, in particular, to identify the source(s) of groundwater recharge in the region. Stable isotope analysis of 18O and 2H was conducted on: monthly precipitation samples from three sites in the basin (Kelowna, Osoyoos and Anarchist Mountain) (n = 37), shallow and deep groundwaters in the alluvial valley bottom (n = 122), groundwater in the bedrock of the upland areas (n = 22), and monthly samples of surface waters collected at 10 stations along the Okanagan River system (which supply irrigation water to local agricultural users) (n = 134). Subsequently, tritium-helium (3H/3He) age dating was conducted on shallow groundwaters in the valley bottom (n = 9), and enriched tritium (3H) and carbon-14 (14C) isotope analysis was conducted on the deep groundwater system in the valley bottom and the groundwater in the upland areas (n = 4), to determine the ages of the respective waters. These data were used to: (1) create a local meteoric water line for the Okanagan Basin; (2) define the source(s) and ages of groundwaters in the southern Okanagan Basin; and (3) develop a conceptual model of flow and residence times of groundwaters in the Basin. The results of this research, conducted in one region of the valley, may be generally applicable over the entire Okanagan Basin.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology