Identifying the source of water contamination can be achieved with the help of isotopes, which have proved a valuable technology in various applications over the decades.
At the Network for Industrially Contaminated Land (NICOLA) conference in Cape Town in November 2022, a case study was presented on how this method was recently used by a metals processing plants. By Ismail Mahomed, principle hydrogeologist at SRK Consulting.
Isotopes are a useful addition to any investigator's toolbox.
A particular environment will acquire a characteristics isotopic composition or signature by virtue of the hydrogeochemical processes involved. We can use this isotope signature for ''fingerprinting'' - giving us clues to trace the source of water, and hence of the contamination.
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