Managed Aquifer Recharge with Advanced Treated Municipal Effluent: Modelling the Impact on Groundwater Chemistry and Native Microbial Ecology
Keywords:
PICRUSt2, water reuse, MODFLOW, PHREEQC, microbial ecology, groundwater chemistry, advanced treated effluent, Managed aquifer rechargeAbstract
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using advanced treated municipal effluent (ATME) has become a viable solution to help replenish groundwater supplies in water-stressed areas. The coupled hydrogeochemical and microbiological responses of receiving aquifers are however underrepresented. An integrated field-monitoring and reactive-transport modeling approach is applied to evaluate the effects of ATME-based MAR on groundwater chemistry and native microbial ecology at a spreading-basin facility in the semi-arid southwestern United States. Groundwater samples were taken from 350 monitoring points over 24 months from twelve monitoring wells located at distances of 30–1200 m from the recharge basin. Major ions, trace elements, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), constituents of emerging concern (CECs) and stable water isotopes were measured in samples, while microbial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V3-V4 region) and functional profiling using PICRUSt2. A coupled MODFLOW/MT3DMS–PHREEQC model was used to simulate reactive transport. Mixing of ATME with native groundwater resulted in a chemical gradient that was dominated by a Ca–HCO₃–NO₃ facies within 300 m of the basin, and beyond 900 m a native Ca–Mg–HCO₃ signature was observed. DOC attenuation was pseudo-first-order (k = 0.021 d⁻¹), and 68 % of the CECs monitored were reduced to below detection limits after 180 days of residence in the subsurface. Microbial α-diversity (Shannon index) rose by 22 % in the proximal wells compared to background, with enrichment of Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes, and a decrease in Firmicutes. The impact zone had significantly higher predicted numbers of functional genes involved in nitrogen cycling and xenobiotic biodegradation. Modeling using reactive transport was able to reasonably simulate the observed solute breakthrough, with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.87. The results offer a mechanistic approach to assessing water-quality trends and microbial risk in ATME-based MAR schemes, which can be used to guide residence-time requirements for potable-reuse applications.
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