Enhancing hydrological insight: isotopic methods revealing groundwater–surface water interactions in the Lower Quang Tri River Group, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

The Lower Quang Tri River Group, situated in central Vietnam, faces a myriad of challenges, notably the decline in groundwater levels and the salinisation of both groundwater and surface water, significantly impacting water availability for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes. To address these pressing concerns, this study adopts a comprehensive methodology integrating hydrogeological measurements, isotopic techniques, and chemical analyses of various water sources, including local precipitation, surface water bodies, reservoirs, and groundwater samples. Utilising the deuterium and oxygen-18 signatures (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) in water molecules as environmental tracers for the assessment of base flow and water sources enables a nuanced understanding of the intricate interaction between surface water and groundwater. Research findings elucidate that during the dry season, groundwater recharge primarily stems from water in the reservoirs over approximately seven months. Base flow contributes between 80 and 85 % of streamflow during the rainy season, escalating to 100 % during the dry season. The mean travelling time of the base flow is estimated at 120 ± 10 days using the sine curve model developed by Rodgers et al. The insights gleaned from this study are poised to play a pivotal role in guiding the local water resources managers in licensing for the exploitation of a right quantities of groundwater as sustainable management strategies in the region.

KEYWORDS:

• Water isotopic signatures
• groundwater–surface water interaction
• baseflow separation
• Lower Quang Tri River Group
• Vietnam
• mean travel time (MTT)
• groundwater extraction
• Eckhardt's recursive digital filter (RDF)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) under an independent research project entitled ‘Research on solutions to recovery of salinisation groundwater exploitation works in the water scarcity areas of Nam Bo plain’, encoded DTDL.CN-65/21 for the period 2021–2024.