An example of exchange between lake and groundwater

The State Water Authorities for Environmental Protection of Baden-Wuerttemberg are carrying out a research programme on artificial lakes in the Upper Rhine Valley. Part of this programme deals with the hydrological conditions of a small lake (test lake) and its surrounding groundwater. The Institut fuer Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft (Institute of Water Management and Solid Waste Disposal), Karlsruhe, is undertaking hydrological, meteorological, physical, chemical and bacteriological investigations in the lake area. Since 1975 our institute has been participating in these activities by measuring the content of stable isotopes (deuterium and oxygen-18) of precipitations in the intake area, the lake water and the groundwater taken from numerous observation wells. One of the purposes of the isotope measurements is to study the exchange between lake water and groundwater