U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 20-24, 1993, Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4015

Tracer Injections in Small Streams--Why and How We Do Them

Abstract

By using simple techniques and imagination, researchers can use conservative-tracer injections to collect hydrologic data on small streams. Stream hydrologic properties such as discharge, which cannot be measured in small streams by other means, are measurable with a precision as good as two percent by use of conservative tracers.

This paper briefly describes some of the hydrologic information that can be gained from continuous injection experiments and describes tracer selection criteria, injection equipment, and sampling and tracer analysis.