QUT GROUNDWATER RESEARCH PROJECT.

Legion Drilling recently participated in a hydrogeochemical research project conducted by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with the involvement of specialists from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines and CSIRO. The project was undertaken in the headwaters of the Condamine River basin and led by geologist and PhD candidate Jorge Martinez. The study focused on the isotopic characterisation of alluvium groundwaters, aiming to investigate the origin and geochemical evolution of this aquifer system under a dynamic hydraulic regime, represented by intensive groundwater pumping and interaction with creek waters.

High‑resolution lithological characterisation and porewater sampling, combined with multi‑level groundwater isotopic fingerprinting, provided high‑density datasets that greatly assisted in identifying the predominant recharge processes.

The suite of datasets was obtained using Legion Drilling’s Hydraulic Profiling Tool (HPT), Cone Penetration Test (CPT), and DT325 continuous sampling, followed by the installation of monitoring wells. The hydraulic profiling tool enabled the identification of permeable layers and calculation of SWL from HPT dissipation tests.

Analysis was carried out at the Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF) at QUT Gardens Point. Off‑Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA‑ICOS) was used to measure stable isotopes of porewater.