Septic System Impacts on Source Water: Two Novel Field Tracer Experiments in Fractured Sedimentary Bedrock

Abstract

Septic systems are a common contributor of contaminants to groundwater that have implications for source water protection, particularly in fractured sedimentary bedrock environments. Two 24-h tracer experiments were performed that applied (1) the dye Lissamine Flavine FF and (2) three artificial sweeteners (acesulfame, sucralose, and cyclamate) in the leaching bed to examine solute transport from a single-family septic bed to a multilevel monitoring well installed in fractured sedimentary bedrock on a First Nation reserve in Southern Ontario, Canada. Tracer was first observed 3 h and 20 min after deployment, and breakthrough curves showed that multiple pathways likely exist between the septic bed and the monitoring well. Cyclamate concentrations were more elevated than expected compared to other studies that examined cyclamate’s attenuation in the laboratory and in porous media aquifers. Solute transport through the septic bed was analyzed with the numerical modeling software Hydrus 1D, which indicated that the septic bed may be too thin, located directly on bedrock, underlain by fractured soils, or bypassed through a short-circuit. The rapid transport of septic leachate to fractured sedimentary aquifers is problematic for First Nation and rural communities. More stringent regulations are needed for the design and use of septic systems in these environments.