Behaviour of boron and strontium isotopes in groundwater-aquifer interactions in the Cornia Plain (Tuscany, Italy)

The Cornia Plain alluvial aquifer, in Tuscany, is exploited intensely to meet the demand for domestic, irrigation and industrial water supplies. The B concentration of groundwater, however, is often above the European limit of 1 mg L-1, with the result that exploitation of these water resources requires careful management. Boron and Sr isotopes have been used as part of a study on the origin and distribution of B dissolved in groundwater, and indirectly as a contribution to the development of appropriate water management strategies. The geochemistry of the Cornia Plain groundwater changes from a HCO3 facies in the inland areas to a Cl facies along the coastal belt, where seawater intrusion takes place. The B concentration of groundwater increases towards the coastal areas, while the 11B/10B ratio decreases. This indicates that there is an increasing interaction between dissolved B and the sediments forming the aquifer matrix, whose B content is in the order of 100 mg kg-1. Adsorption-desorption exchanges take place between water and the sediment fine fraction rich in clay minerals, with a net release of B from the matrix into the groundwater, and a consequent δ 11B shift from positive to negative values. The aquifer matrix sediments therefore seem to be the major source of B dissolved in the groundwater. The groundwater-matrix interactions triggered by the ionic strength increase caused by seawater intrusion can also be detected in the Ca-Na ion exchanges. Dissolved Sr follows a trend similar to that of Ca, while the 87Sr/86Sr ratio is equal to that of the exchangeable Sr of the aquifer matrix and therefore does not change significantly. These results have helped to define a new strategy for groundwater exploitation, with the final objective of reducing B concentration in the water extracted from the aquifer