USING ISOTOPE TRACING TO UNDERSTAND GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER INTERACTIONS AT A WETLAND SYSTEM IN MILLEDGEVILLE, GA

Understanding groundwater and surface water interaction remains an important subject in hydrology and wetland studies. The ability of a wetland to sustain its ecological and hydrological functions is strongly dependent on this interaction. In the current study we investigate the transport of water, nutrient and potential contaminants through a wetland system in Milledgeville GA. The wetland system is located at Andalusia Farm, which was historically a plantation until Flannery O'connor's uncle bought it for raising horses and cultivated the land for timber, hay, and dairy production. Previous studies at this site include: nutrient contents, fluorescein dye tracing, and using heat as a tracer to understand groundwater-surface water interaction. In this study we use stable isotope tracing to map water movement throughout the system. Preliminary results show strong groundwater-surface water coupling in some areas of the wetland system, while other areas are still inconclusive.