GEOLOGICALGLOBE OF EARTH


risk in drinking and irrigation water. Continuing to moni- tor boron, among other solutes, in groundwater beneath the study area would facilitate continued assessment of the suit- ability of well water for different uses.


About the Author


Paul F. Hudak is a professor in the Department of Geogra- phy and the Environment at the University of North Texas. He received a B.S. and M.S. in Geology from Allegheny College and Wright State University, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Geography, emphasis in Water Resources, from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Paul’s current research interests include groundwater monitoring, aquifer remediation, and riparian systems.


References


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K-T BOUNDARY, CRETACEOUS, JURASSIC,


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portion of the study area (Figure 1 and 4). Thus, salts in the vadose zone may contribute to, but do not solely account for, the observed boron concentration patterns in groundwater. Potentially, oilfield brine is an additional source of boron


in the study area. Numerous past- and presently-producing oil and gas wells are scattered throughout the study area. However, the dataset explored in this study did not include extremely high boron concentrations in groundwater. Oil and gas operations probably do not exert a major influence on the observed boron concentration pattern in groundwater. Boron is not frequently removed from household wells, community water supplies, or irrigation water. However, it appears not to be a major problem in drinking water in the study area. Where present in borderline concentrations, exposure risks could be reduced by regularly testing and filtering tap water with reverse osmosis units or pumping groundwater from unimpaired wells. Potentially, boron pos- es little to modest risk to irrigated cotton in the study area. Only 6 percent of observations exceeded the boron advisory level for sensitive crops, and cotton is semi-tolerant of boron in irrigation water. If boron levels in irrigation water became problematic in the study area, reducing applications of water with high boron concentrations could be a possible solution.


Summary and Conclusion


The objective of this study was to map and evaluate recent boron measurements in the Edwards-Trinity Plateau Aqui- fer of southwest Texas. Boron concentrations in groundwater ranged widely, from less than 50 ug/L to 3,390 ug/L. Only two observations exceeded the 2,000 ug/L advisory level in drinking water for children. However, 11 observations surpassed the 1,250 ug/L advisory level for sensitive crops. Rock formations in the aquifer exert a primary control on measured boron concentrations in groundwater. Based on the dataset analyzed in this study, boron poses relatively low


60 TPG • Apr.May.Jun 2019


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Barranco WT, Hudak PF, Eckhert CD (2007) Evaluation of ecological and in vitro effects of boron on prostate cancer risk (United States). Cancer Causes and Control, 18, 71-77.


Bush PW, Ulery RL, Rittmaster RL (1994) Dissolved-solids concentra- tions and hydrochemical facies in water of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer system, west-central Texas. U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report, 93-4126, 1-29.


Craddock HA (2018) Oilfield Chemistry and Its Environmental Impact. Wiley, Oxford.


Cui Y, Winton MI, Zhang ZF, Rainey C, Marshall J, De Kernion JB, Eckhert CD (2004) Dietary boron intake and prostate cancer risk. Oncology Report, 11(4), 887-892.


Dotsika E, Poutoukis D, Michelot JL, Kloppmann W (2006) Stable isotope and chloride, bromide study for tracing sources of boron contamination in groundwater: Boron contents in fresh and thermal water in differ- ent areas in Greece. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 174(1-4), 19-32.


EPA (2008) Drinking Water Health Advisory for Boron. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Document 822-R-08-013, Washington, DC. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/


Floquet CFA, Lindvig T, Sieben VJ, MacKay VJ, Mostowfi F (2017) Rapid determination of boron in oilfield water using a microfluidic instrument. Analytical Methods, 9, 1948-1955.


FNB (Food and Nutrition Board) (2001) Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.


Gemici U, Tarcan G, Helvaci H, Somay AM (2008) High arsenic and boron concentrations in groundwaters related to mining activity in the Bigadic borate deposits (Western Turkey). Applied Geochemistry, 23(8), 2462-2476.


Hem J (1985) Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water, 3/e. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254.


Hopkins J (1995) Water Quality in the Edwards-Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer, Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, Texas. Hydrologic Atlas 3. Texas Water Development Board, Austin, Texas.


Hudak PF (2004) Boron and selenium contamination in south Texas groundwater. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, 39(11- 12), 2827-2834.


www.aipg.org


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