Hydrochemistry of the Hawkesbury

Sandstone Aquifers in Western Sydney

and the Upper Nepean catchment

W. McLean1 & J. Ross2

1Parsons

Brinckerhoff, Sydney NSW AUSTRALIA

2Sydney Catchment Authority, Penrith, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Project Background

NSW
Government
Deep water in dams

Desalination

Metropolitan
Water Plan

Groundwater

Recycling

Groundwater Investigations

Leonay
Wallacia

Upper
Nepean

Sydney

Sydney Water Supply Investigations

Scope of works

Drilling

and construction of
test production and
monitoring bores

Monitoring

of yield and water

quality

Geophysical logging

Water

level monitoring

Test

monitoring

Safe

yield estimates

Numerical modelling

Hydrogeochemical and

isotope studies

Sydney Water Supply Investigations

Chemical, stable and radiogenic
isotopes were assessed to:

Determine chemical
characteristics of aquifers

Delineate recharge/discharge
zones

Age date groundwater

Assess groundwater surfacewater interactions

Assess feasibility of borefield
development

Hydrogeological setting: Hawkesbury

Sandstone aquifer

Hawkesbury Sandstone is the
main productive aquifer

Thickness of up to 250 m

Semi-confined to confined aquifer
Primary porosity

Groundwater flow is highly

variable

Primary and secondary porosity
(fractures)

Yields: 5 40 L/s

Fractures

Background: Leonay

Leonay is located 60 km west of
Sydney

Located at foothills of the Blue
Mountains

Centred on the Lapstone
Monocline, a major structural
feature of the Sydney Basin

Investigation involved
construction of 18 boreholes,
including 8 deep production
bores in excess of 300 metres

Background: Wallacia

Wallacia is located ~20 km south
of Leonay

Located east of the Lapstone
Monocline and Nepean Fault

Investigation involved
construction of 14 boreholes at 5
sites, including 7 deep bores up to
340 m deep.

Geology: Leonay & Wallacia

Geological target is the Hawkesbury
Sandstone (HS) (Triassic) (up to 260 m
thick)

HS is overlain by Ashfield Shale, and
Tertiary and Quaternary
Alluvium/Colluvium

At Leonay Cranebrook Formation
(Quaternary) is 8-14 m thick and
Rickabys Creek Gravels (Tertiary) is 212 m thick

At Wallacia Cranebrook Formation
equivalent (Pleistocene) 15-20 m thick,
Talus and colluvium (Tertiary) up to 9 m
thick

Geological structure: Leonay - Wallacia

Lapstone Monocline is a
major structural feature

Separates Blue Mountains
Plateau in the west from
Cumberland Plain to the east

North-south orientation, 160
km length

Increased fracturing is
associated with the feature
& this varies between a
series of en-echlon faults
and monoclines

Leonay
investigation area

Wallacia
investigation area

Geological structure: Leonay - Wallacia

Hydrogeological setting: LeonayWallacia

Groundwater recharge occurs on the
Blue Mountains Plateau

Groundwater flow is eastwards
towards Nepean River

Steep groundwater gradient across
the Lapstone Structural Complex

At Wallacia groundwater is very
shallow or artesian

To the west of the Nepean Fault
groundwater levels are very deep (up
to 100 mbgl)

Hydrochemistry: Leonay

Differences in chemical composition of groundwater in upper HS
(<100 m depth) and lower HS (100-300 m depth)

Higher EC in upper HS (up to 1,700 S/cm)

Higher EC due to higher clay content and leakage from overlying
Ashfield Shale

Lower EC in lower HS (250 - 400 S/cm)

Lower EC due to cleaner, coarser grained sandstone at depth

Hydrochemistry: Leonay

Upper HS dominated by Na, Mg
and Cl

Piper Plot
Le gend
Lege nd

L1C

C L1D

60

40

B
B

D
C

40

E
D

E L3C
B L5A
B L6A

Mg

Cl
+

60

20

Cl and increased salinity in the

upper aquifer is attributed to
leakage from Ashfield Shale and
higher clay content

D L2B
E L2C
D L3B

80

+
Ca
<=

SO
4=
>

80

B L7A

20

Lower HS evolved from mixed

cation (Cl-HCO3) to mixed cation
(HCO3-Cl)

Mg

SO4
B
80
+K
Na

<=
HC
O3

80

60

60

=>

40

20
E

20

40

60

80

Na+K

HCO3

B CD

E
B

E
D

80

60

20

E
EB D

40

20

Ca

Increasing alkalinity due to

dissolution of carbonate minerals
(siderite and calcite)

40

Cl

Hydrochemistry: Leonay

Elevated concentrations of iron and
manganese are typical of
Hawkesbury Sandstone

Sources of iron: siderite, and iron
oxyhydroxides and hydroxides

Large spatial variability in iron and
manganese concentrations

Iron concentrations 49.1 mg/L
(max)

Manganese concentrations 3.17
mg/L (max)

Isotope hydrology: Leonay

Radiocarbon ages ranged from 5,300 years BP to 25,700
years BP (uncorrected) and from 3,550 years BP to 21,600
years BP (corrected).

There is generally an increase in groundwater residence time
in the Hawkesbury Sandstone aquifer along the flow path
(west to east).

Groundwater age also increases with depth.

Tritium values were low in all bores penetrating the
Hawkesbury Sandstone with the highest tritium value
measuring 0.9 TU.

Tritium values indicate that the proportion of modern water
present in the aquifer ranges from 3 to 30%.

Hydrochemistry: Wallacia

Differences in chemical composition
of groundwater in upper HS (<100 m
depth) and lower HS (100-300 m
depth)

Upper HS Maximum EC ~4,300
S/cm

Lower HS EC ranged from 400-1,600
S/cm

Salinity increases along flow path
(west to east)

Higher salinity due to leakage from
overlying shales and upward
migration of brackish water along
faults

Hydrochemistry: Wallacia

Hydrochemistry: Wallacia

High iron concentrations 1.57
mg/L to 60.4 mg/L

High manganese concentrations
0.22 to 2.26 mg/L

High trace elements, CO2 and CH4
in some bores upward leakage
along faults, ingassing from
underlying Banks Wall Sandstone
or Permian Coal Measures

Variation in chemistry in area of
Nortons Diatreme

Groundwater age: Wallacia

14C

14C

(uncorrected) 8,500 to 42,000 yrs BP

(corrected) 5,000 to 30,500 yrs BP

Background: Upper Nepean

Located near Robertson, in the
Southern Highlands of NSW

Target aquifer: Hawkesbury
Sandstone

Identified as a potential drought
resource after an initial drilling
program in April-May 2005

Drilling and pilot testing program
commenced in August 2005

Site identified for borefield
development

Geology: Upper Nepean

Robertson Basalt (Tertiary)

caps elevated areas in KangaloonRobertson area

mainly olivine basalt

Ashfield Shale

outcrops in the Robertson area (south of
investigation area)

predominantly dark grey to black sideritic
siltstone

Mittagong Formation

thin unit (average 2 m thick)

fine-grained quartzose sandstone

Hawkesbury Sandstone

up to 180 m thick

overlies Triassic Narrabeen Group and
Permian Illawarra Coal Measures

Geological structure: Upper Nepean

General dip to the northeast
of approximately 1.3

Site 7
Site 4

Structural deformation since

deposition produced gentle
warps and folds

Mittagong area dominated by
west-northwest to eastsoutheast trending horst and
graben structures

New west-northwest trending
faults and dome structure (Mt
Butler intrusive) identified
from recent drilling and
aeromagnetic survey

Site 10
Site 8
Site 3

Site 1
Site 5

Site 2
Site 11

Site 9

Geological structure: Upper Nepean

Geological cross: section

Hydrogeology: Upper Nepean

Groundwater flow is
generally to the north

Groundwater-surface
water linkage for Nepean
River and tributaries is
connected-gaining

Water levels typically <30
mbgl

Deepest levels occur in
the north (due to incised
creek/river
Primary recharge zone

Recharge occurs in
elevated areas of exposed
sandstone

Groundwater chemistry: Upper Nepean

Lower salinity than Wallacia and
Leonay

EC varied from 50 to 1,660
S/cm, typically <400 S/cm in
upper HS and <200 S/cm in
lower HS

Higher salinity occurred in bores
located in shale outcrop areas

Lowest salinity in recharge zone
(uplifted horst block)

Salinity decreased with depth

Recharge zone had rapid rainfall
recharge, characterised by low
salinity (<100 S/cm) and acidic
pH (pH<5)

Groundwater chemistry: Upper Nepean

Groundwater chemistry: Upper Nepean

Chemical composition: Na-Cl

and Na-Mg-Cl (recharge zones
or higher salinity waters) and
Na-(Mg)-HCO3-Cl downgradient
of recharge zones (to the north
and west)

Site 1 (s)
Site 1 (PB)
Site 2 (a)
Site 2 (p)
Site 2 (s)
Site 2 (d)
Site 2 (PB)
Site 3 (PB)
Site 4 (s)
Site 4 (PB)
Site 5 (s)
Site 5 (PB)
Site 6 (PB)
Site 7 (PB)
Site 8 (PB)
Site 9 (p)
Site 9 (s)
Sie 9 (d )
Site 9 (PB)
Site 1 0 (PB)
Site 1 1 (PB)
Site 1 2 (PB)
Spring
Surfa ce Water

80
60

80
60

40

40

20

20

Mg

Primary
recharge z one

SO4

80

80

60

Iron: <0.05 to 47 mg/L

60

40

40

20

20

Manganese: 0.01 to 3.44 mg/L

80
Ca

60

40

20
Na+K

20
HCO3

40

60

80
Cl

Groundwater age Upper Nepean

Radiocarbon and tritium data

The radiocarbon and tritium data
indicated that at least three flow
systems are present in the
Hawkesbury Sandstone aquifer in
the Upper Nepean catchment:
1. A shallow flow system: young
water (<50 yrs (corrected)),
recharged by rainfall.
2. An intermediate zone: a mixing
zone between the shallow and deep
groundwater (<3,500 yrs old
(corrected)).
3. A deep groundwater system:
oldest water (~3,500 to 8,000 yrs BP
(corrected))

Conclusions
The hydrochemistry and groundwater age data allowed a better
understanding of the groundwater systems and suitability of the
Hawkesbury Sandstone aquifer as a drinking water source.