Measuring water quality from individual fractures in open wellbores using hydraulic isolation and the dissolved oxygen alteration method

This study describes a low-cost method for sampling individual fractures in open wellbores in crystalline bedrock utilizing naturally occurring flow conditions in the well. The method entails using the dissolved oxygen alteration method (DOAM) to identify transmissive fractures and vertical flow direction. After obtaining information about relative hydraulic gradients, flow direction in the well is modified using a single control pump to isolate fractures of interest for sampling. Additional dissolved oxygen, injected during the DOAM procedure, serves as a tracer to ensure the water quality in the sampling zone is characteristic of the fracture of interest by requiring a tracer-free zone prior to sampling. Sampling procedures are described conceptually for nine bedrock wells with varying flow conditions containing one, two, or three transmissive inflowing fractures. The method was demonstrated in two crystalline bedrock wells containing one and two transmissive inflowing fractures.