Geophysical Methods to Map Brackish and Saline Water in Aquifers

Many aquifers in the southeastern US are currently experiencing some level of salinity encroachment.  Increased development and the associated increases in groundwater withdrawals, particularly along the coast, are expected to increase the number and size of areas impacted by elevated salinities.  Several surfacial geophysical methods have been developed for measuring salinity levels in aquifers.  These methods provide powerful tools to identify the position of saline or brackish water in an aquifer and can map the migration of a plume over time even in remote areas with little subsurface information. 

            The methods most commonly used for salt water investigations are geo-electrical methods.  Two primary methods are available, electrical resistivity (ER) and time domain electromagnetic induction (TEM).  ER provides better resolution in the upper 200 to 500 feet than EM but requires good electrical coupling with the surface soils and field operation is generally slower.  TEM can generally cover more area in a given amount of time than ER and is used for target depths of about 50 to 2,000 feet.

            All geophysical methods have limitations in terms of resolution and cultural interference that determine where a given method can be used and what level of detail can be obtained.  This paper will present two case histories where surface geophysics has been used to identify saline and brackish water zones in aquifers.  The case histories will describe using TDEM and ER to map saline water zones in the coastal aquifer in urban areas of Los Angeles County and Orange County, California.