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UC launches new study of 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

The University of Cincinnati is launching a new investigation at its groundwater observatory to examine the ways toxins from distant sources get into drinking water.
michael.miller3@uc.edu (Michael Miller) | Thu, May 2, 2024

The University of Cincinnati is launching a new investigation of the ways toxins from distant sources get into groundwater.

UC’s Department of Geosciences is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to study chemicals in UC’s groundwater observatory along the Great Miami River.

Underground aquifers are a source of drinking water for more than 2 million people in Ohio. Scientists are trying to understand what happens to toxins such as PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” that leach into groundwater and how these systems differ from surface water in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

At the observatory, named for UC Professor Emeritus David Nash and the late hydrogeologist C.V. Theis, UC researchers take water samples from wells dug at specific depths and locations along the river.

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

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Geoscientists have used UC's groundwater observatory to understand how water flows through the aquifer along the Great Miami River. Now they are turning their attention to understanding toxins such as PFAS in the water. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

The observatory initially provided researchers with real-time data about the hydrodynamics of surface river water as it moves through a nearby aquifer, particularly during periodic floods. Now, researchers are turning their attention to chemicals in the water.

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

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Associate Professor Reza Soltanian is leading a project to study toxins in groundwater. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

In particular, they want to know more about forever chemicals, known by the acronym PFAS.

“We’re close enough to get surface water mixing with groundwater. Surface water is impacted by nutrients and agricultural runoff. But groundwater is also affected by those same things,” Associate Professor of Geosciences Reza Soltanian said.

Researchers met this spring at the wooded observatory with scientists from the Pacific National Laboratory while work crews dug additional wells for the new study.

UC graduate assistant Margaret “Megan” Naber said the project will examine how surface water such as the river, which often has excess nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen, mixes with the water stored deep underground.

“The overall goal of this work is to better understand the microbiological processes that are happening underground,” Naber said. “Knowing this information will allow us to make more informed decisions moving forward as we combat contamination events and try to protect our drinking water sources.”

UC Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Annette Rowe is also taking part. Among other topics in her biology lab, she studies environmental microbiology and water quality.

Students used pumps to collect water samples from the wells on site. Researchers said they were pleased that the samples they took corresponded to a coincidental period when the river flood level was up so they could record these unique observations.

“The groundwater is defined by its geological architecture,” Soltanian said. “As the water table comes up you get mixing to various degrees based on the porosity.”

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

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Assistant Professor Annette Rowe studies applied and environmental microbiology in her lab. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

Researchers look at the oxygen saturation in the water compared to the levels of oxygen-consuming organic matter. Knowing this “redox” condition allows researchers to understand how microorganisms in the aquifer’s sediments consume carbon and alter the chemistry of the environment; a process that can impact the release of toxic chemicals into the drinking water, particularly in the substrate beneath the aquifer.

“When you look at groundwater, you have to make a lot of inferences,” Rowe said.

But UC’s project will allow researchers to study chemicals at locations throughout the aquifer using sophisticated equipment such as mass spectroscopy at the Department of Energy’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.

Soltanian said climate change is leading to worse and more frequent flooding, which makes the study all the more pressing in understanding its impact on water quality for the people who depend on it.

Featured image at top: Workers dig a new monitoring well. Researchers in biology and geosciences launched a new project to study toxins in drinking water using UC's groundwater observatory. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC graduate assistant Margaret "Megan" Naber, Assistant Professor Annette Rowe and Associate Professor Reza Soltanian are studying toxins in groundwater along the Great Miami River. The aquifer provides drinking water to many residents of Southwest Ohio. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC graduate assistant Margaret "Megan" Naber said researchers want to study the microbiological processes that happen when surface water laden with toxins and excess nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen mix with groundwater that has been stored deep underground for far longer. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC researchers are collaborating on a project to examine the interaction of toxins such as PFAS in groundwater. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC students use a pump to collect a water sample from a monitoring well at UC's groundwater observatory on the Great Miami River. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC students collect their first water samples for a new collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to study toxins in groundwater. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

UC works with geologists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Lab at its groundwater observatory off the Great Miami River in Miamitown, where they study how surface water flows through an aquifer, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents.

Full Gallery

UC students collect the first water samples for a new study examining toxins in groundwater. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand

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