| Abstract: | Tens of millions of people in the Bengal Basin region of Bangladesh and India drink groundwater containing unsafe concentrations of arsenic. This high-arsenic groundwater is produced from shallow (<100 m) depths by domestic and irrigation wells in the Bengal Basin aquifer system. The government of Bangladesh has begun to install wells to depths of >150 m where groundwater arsenic concentrations are nearly uniformly low, and many more wells are needed, however, the sustainability of deep, arsenic-safe ground-water has not been previously assessed. Deeper pumping could induce downward migration of dissolved arsenic, permanently destroying the deep resource. Here, it is shown, through quantitative, large-scale hydrogeologic analysis and simulation of the entire basin, that the deeper part of the aquifer system may provide a sustainable source of arsenic-safe water if its utilization is limited to domestic supply. Simulations provide two explanations for this result: deep domestic pumping only slightly perturbs the deep groundwater flow system, and substantial shallow pumping for irrigation forms a hydraulic barrier that protects deeper resources from shallow arsenic sources. Additional analysis indicates that this simple management approach could provide arsenic-safe drinking water to >90% of the arsenic-impacted region over a 1,000-year timescale. This insight may assist water-resources managers in alleviating one of the world‘s largest groundwater contamination problems. ?? 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70000444 |
| Citation Author: | Michael, H. A.; Voss, C. I. |
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| Citation End Page: | 8536 |
| Citation Issue: | 25 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Evaluation of the sustainability of deep groundwater as an arsenic-safe resource in the Bengal Basin; 2008; Article; Journal; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; Michael, H. A.; Voss, C. I. |
| Citation Start Page: | 8531 |
| Citation Volume: | 105 |
| Citation Year: | 2008 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Evaluation of the sustainability of deep groundwater as an arsenic-safe resource in the Bengal Basin; 2008; Article; Journal; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; Michael, H. A.; Voss, C. I. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0710477105 |
| Date Other: | Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:09 -0500 |
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