Contamination by Arsenate in Oxidizing Groundwater, Southern Gulf Coast Aquifer System, Texas

Groundwater arsenic concentrations exceed the U.S. EPA maximum contaminant level for drinking water (10 μg/L) in about one-third of wells in the southern Gulf Coast Aquifer System (GCAS) in Texas, representing a potential public health hazard and an environmental compliance challenge to numerous small public water supply systems. The aim of this study is to better understand the hydrogeochemical mechanisms underpinning the widespread distribution of elevated groundwater arsenic concentrations in the region. Here we focus upon arsenic contamination in unconfined portions of the aquifer system. The investigation is based upon chemical analyses of a field transect of 27 groundwater samples collected from across three units of the GCAS; stratified water quality sampling from one additional well; and relevant water chemistry data from the Texas Water Development Board groundwater database (more than 500 samples). Chemical results from the field study showed that carbonate weathering and active recharge in the unconfined zone result in circum-neutral pH and oxidizing redox conditions, which are typically amenable to arsenic immobilization by adsorption of As(V) onto mineral oxides and clays. However, arsenic concentrations were found up to 129 μg/L (median 12 μg/L), and As(V) represented nearly 100% of total arsenic. Concentrations generally decreased with increasing distance from the Catahoula Formation (which contains abundant volcanic ash presumed to be the original arsenic source), through the overlying Jasper, Evangeline and Chicot Aquifers. Statistically significant pairwise correlations with arsenic were found for vanadium, silica and potassium, all of which were released during weathering of volcanic sediments and their degradation products. Silica that was co-released with arsenic may compete for sorption sites and reduce the capacity for arsenic adsorption. An important role for variable arsenic source availability was suggested by regional spatial distributions and vertical stratification of arsenic concentrations. Further investigations will address whether observed groundwater arsenic distributions may be relatable to patterns of paleofluvial transport of arsenic-bearing sediments.