Anthropogenic sulfate loads in the Rio Grande, New Mexico (USA)

Abstract The sources of SO 4 along a ~ 550 km stretch of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and western Texas were investigated using stable S isotopes. During 2007 and 2008, the δ 34 S of dissolved SO 4 in the Rio Grande surface water varied over a narrow range from − 1.6 to + 0.9‰, which was consistent with the δ 34 S of local fertilizers (− 2.1 to + 1.6‰) and was not consistent with Paleozoic evaporite sources of SO 4 in regional bedrock (+ 7.6 to + 12.9‰). This is likely due the fact that SO 4 is the major component of N–P–K fertilizers used in the Rio Grande Valley, constituting about half of the total fertilizers by mass. The SO 4 /Cl ratios of the groundwater system are relatively low (0.06 to 3) compared to the fertilizer source, suggesting that more Cl is added to the Rio Grande from geological sources as compared to SO 4 . In the Mesilla Basin in southern New Mexico, we identified zones of mixing between recharging irrigation water with groundwater within the depth range of ~ 50–200 m below the ground surface. For this aquifer, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that Na–K–Cl concentrations were largely attributable to geological sources and SO 4 –Mg–Ca concentrations to anthropogenic sources. Here, an additional anthropogenic source of SO 4 (with a δ 34 S of − 2.7‰) was linked to anaerobic decomposition of manure on a horse farm. In this case SO 4 concentrations (800 mg/L) increased by about three times compared to background SO 4 concentrations in groundwater ( 2 SO 4 in fertilizer manufacturing, anthropogenic SO 4 fluxes to rivers and shallow aquifers from irrigation waters can be significant worldwide.