Values for some analytes are at or below detection limit.
Charge balance on all analyses was within +/- 7.8%.
Attribute values were checked and are valid within their domain.
There are no presently known inconsistencies within the dataset.
Wells were sampled from submersible pumps. Each of the water wells had been pumping at the time of sampling, so groundwater was sampled after measurements of temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH appeared stable for the pumping rate at the time of sampling. Datasets are complete for each well sampled.
Rivers were sampled using a peristaltic pump with the intake tubing located on the riverbed and at the middle of the river if possible, otherwise a maximum distance of approximately 3 m from the riverbank. Datasets are complete for each river sampled.
Null values are reported as -9999.
Each river was sampled at several locations during September 2015 when the rivers were close to their low flow state. Sampling locations span the bedrock formations present in the study area, with the distance between locations varying from 10 to 40 km, depending on access to the rivers by roads and trails. Water samples were collected using a peristaltic pump with the intake tubing located on the riverbed and at the middle of the river if possible, otherwise a maximum distance of approximately 3 m from the riverbank.
Groundwater was sampled at four locations, including three water wells completed in the Paskapoo Formation (sampled in March 2015) and one well completed in the Wapiti Formation (sampled in November 2015). Each of the water wells had been pumping at the time of sampling, so groundwater was sampled after measurements of temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH appeared stable for the pumping rate at the time of sampling.
Description of analysis and corresponding laboratories:
Routine water chemistry
- Dissolved major ions and alkalinity
- Measured by Exova Laboratories (Edmonton, AB)
Stable isotopes of water (δ18O and δ2H)
- Help understand the origin and movement within the hydrologic cycle.
- All values are expressed as δ values representing deviations in per mil from Vienna standard mean ocean water (VSMOW).
- Measured by Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta
Radon-222 (222Rn)
- A naturally occurring radioactive gas with an activity that increases in groundwater due to the decay of uranium and radium in geological materials, and rapidly decreases where it equilibrates with the atmosphere.
- A useful tracer for identifying groundwater discharge to surface water.
- Measured on water samples at the end of each day using a RAD7 radon detector.
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
- Present in the atmosphere with concentrations that have increased steadily since the 1960s allowing identification of a modern component in surface water and groundwater (i.e., from recent decades).
- Measured by Dissolved and Noble Gas Service Center at the University of Utah
Tritium (3H)
- Present in the atmosphere with concentrations that peaked in the 1960s due to atmospheric atomic bomb testing.
- The decreasing concentration in the atmosphere helps distinguish pre-1960s waters from post-1960s waters.
- Measured by Dissolved and Noble Gas Service Center at the University of Utah using the helium ingrowth method.
Noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe, Ne, 4He, 3He/4He ratio)
- Dissolved noble gases in water are used to infer the conditions and time at which precipitation entered the groundwater system.
- Measured by Dissolved and Noble Gas Service Center at the University of Utah
Radiocarbon (14C)
- A radioactive isotope produced in the atmosphere that enters the subsurface through plant respiration.
- It is it an ideal tracer for groundwater movement on the time scale of thousands of years.
- Measured by Beta Analytics