MULTI-ZONE AQUATIC ECOLOGICAL EXPOSURES TO LANDFILL CONTAMINANTS FROM A GROUNDWATER PLUME DISCHARGING TO A POND.

While it is recognized that groundwater contaminant plumes can impact surface waters, there remains little information on the magnitude, spatial extent, and especially, temporal variability of the resulting exposure to the variety of aquatic organisms, particularly for stagnant surface waters (e.g., ponds). This study of an historic landfill plume discharging to a pond investigated contaminant exposure to multiple aquatic zones (endobenthic, epibenthic, pelagic) over ~1 year within a temperate climate. Landfill tracers included the artificial sweetener saccharin, ammonium, chloride, and specific conductance. Sampling of pond sediment porewater (upwelling groundwater) and continuous geophysical imaging of the subsurface showed a relatively stable plume footprint covering ~26 % of the pond, though with spatially varying leachate composition, revealing year-round exposure to endobenthic (within sediments) organisms. Substantial and variable contaminant exposure to epibenthic organisms within the plume footprint was shown by elevated specific conductance measured directly above the sediment interface. Exposure varied daily at times and increased through winter to values representing undiluted plume groundwater. Exposure to pelagic organisms (overlying water) covered a larger area (~50 %) due to in-pond circulation. The stream outlet concentrations were stable at ~10 times dilution for chloride and saccharin, but were substantially less in summer for ammonium due to in-pond processes. Whereas groundwater contaminants are typically assumed elevated at base flows, the outlet stream contaminant mass discharges to downstream receptors were notably higher in winter than summer, following stream flow patterns. Insights from this study into the timings and locations of contaminant plume exposure to multiple ecological zones of a pond can provide guidance to contaminated site and aquatic ecosystem managers on improved monitoring, assessment, and remediation protocols.