Efficiently measuring groundwater flow in bedrock aquifers is inherently challenging due to the irregular distribution and fine scale of fractures. Recent advances in Active Distributed Temperature Sensing (A‐DTS) in boreholes temporarily sealed with liners have made it possible to quantify flow rates in such aquifers at many different depths using heat as a tracer, but until now only data collected under a single hydraulic condition have been published. This paper presents the first field data from multiple A‐DTS field tests conducted under different hydraulic conditions to quantify groundwater flow redistribution within a bedrock aquifer. Three separate quasi steady state A‐DTS tests were collected in a sealed borehole: (1) natural gradient condition where all boreholes were sealed with flexible and impermeable liners, (2) cross‐connected condition where a nearby borehole was open allowing vertical flow within the borehole, and (3) forced gradient condition where the nearby open borehole was pumped at a constant rate of 54 L/min. The depth‐discrete hydraulic head responses were also measured during the three tests using a string of transducers in a sealed borehole. Results provide quantifiable insights as to how the bedrock aquifer responds, including A‐DTS‐derived measurements of flow changes in fractures at multiple depths driven by changes in gradients. The results confirm that a single open borehole or long‐screened well can significantly alter the site hydraulics and demonstrate that not all large or transmissive fractures show evidence of active flow and thus, transmissivity and aperture should not be used alone to infer active flow zones.

This study follows the geochemistry of nitrogen in a Cretaceous and unconfined sedimentary aquifer in the city of Urânia (Brazil) over 20 years. Although the sewer network was built in the 1970s, the nitrate contamination problem (>45 mg/L-NO₃⁻) persists to this day. The oldest urbanization areas located in the north of the city initially used cesspits for wastewater and currently present the highest nitrate concentrations (>120 mg/L-NO₃⁻), with the plume reaching the deeper aquifer portions (up to 100 m). The contamination is not as dramatic in the south part of the city, where urbanization including installation of the sewage network with PVC pipes that are more resistant to leak than the old ceramic networks occurred after 1985. Based on the constructive well profiles, three hydrogeochemical zones were established: shallow (60 m), with 17 mg/L-NO₃⁻. The current total nitrate mass in the aquifer exceeds 731 kg-NO₃⁻. Numerical flow (Modflow) and transport (MT3D) model scenarios support the hypothesis that the nitrate contamination is caused by substantial infiltration of nitrogen through the cesspits until the 1970s, but after the 1990s, leaks from the sewer network should be responsible for the maintenance of the recently observed high concentrations of nitrate.

Localizada sobre os domínios do Aquífero Adamantina (Sistema Aquífero Bauru), a cidade de Urânia/SP está significativamente contaminada por nitrato (NO₃^-) via processo de urbanização, inicialmente sem instalação da rede de esgoto ainda na década de 1960. Este estudo objetiva avaliar a evolução dessa contaminação no tempo e espaço, a partir de análises químicas de 13 campanhas de amostragem nos últimos 20 anos. Foi efetuada a compilação de dados químicos e seleção de grupos de poços, bem como novas amostragens de água, para buscar padrões de concentração de nitrato em regiões distintas da cidade. Concluiu-se que o maior grau de contaminação está historicamente na porção rasa do aquífero, nas proximidades do córrego Comprido e na região noroeste da cidade (>150 e 100 mg/L NO₃^-, respectivamente). Isso se deve à alta densidade de fossas negras previamente existentes (48 fossas/km² e 23 fossas/km², respectivamente) e, no caso da área noroeste, devido à ocupação urbana mais antiga e por vazamentos de uma rede de esgoto instalada ainda em 1977 e sem manutenção. Essas duas áreas também apresentaram elevadas concentrações (50 a 100 mg/L NO₃^-) na porção intermediária do aquífero, indicando que a contaminação atinge profundidades maiores. A porção sul da cidade é historicamente a de menor contaminação, devido a urbanização tardia, em parte concomitante com a chegada da rede de esgoto (em 1985), além da menor densidade de fossas negras (17 fossas/km²), apresentando, na maioria das análises, valores de até 50 mg/L NO₃-_.