Groundwater program
Monitoring of the groundwater (>2 m) in the KCS has been conducted since 1980 by the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) as part of their national monitoring. The past decade has seen a continuous expansion of the groundwater well network, currently resulting in over 150 wells within the KCS. With the exception of a 150 m deep well penetrating the bedrock, the wells are placed in the Quaternary deposits at depths between ca. 2-30 m. Most wells are of piezometer type, to allow the determination of the hydraulic head in given soil layers as well as extraction of groundwater samples for chemical and isotopic analyses at specific depths. The wells are primarily distributed in the central parts of the catchments, but there are also well-clusters where the groundwater from different depths at the same location can be investigated (Fig 1d). The purpose of these installations has been to enhance the understanding of deeper groundwater in the landscape, with respect to transit times (Peralta-Tapia et al. 2015), flow pathways (Lidman et al. 2016), residence times (Kolbe et al., 2020) and water chemistry (Klaminder et al. 2011). On-going collaboration with the SGU is aimed at developing a 3D soil map for the entire KCS in order to provide a stronger foundation for further exploration of the links between Quaternary deposits, hydrology, and water quality. The project includes further geophysical investigations of the area, including transient electromagnics, drilling, and installation of more groundwater wells.