Dale Van Stempvoort

Current research and/or projects

Research on contaminants in groundwater relevant to departmental programs and priorities

  • Assessment of the fate of contaminants and nutrients in groundwater
  • Interaction of groundwater and surface water
  • Analyses of chemicals as tracers of anthropogenic impacts on groundwater and surface water

Research and/or project statements

  • Assessment of the role of groundwater in flux of nutrients and algal blooms in Lake of the Woods, Ontario
  • Assessment of the role of groundwater in the flux of nutrients to headwaters in the Thames River basin, Ontario
  • Detection of alkyl-phenoxy-benzenesulfonates in municipal wastewater
  • Occurence and fate of perchlorate in the Great Lakes basin
  • Assessment of artificial sweeteners as tracers of the flux of wastewater to environment waters 

Professional activities / interests

Past Canadian/department lead on groundwater with respect to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Canada Ontario Agreement

Co-author of Groundwater Quality sub-indicator in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Education and awards

Certificate of Recognition, Environment and Climate Change Canada (2017)

Citation of Excellence, Environment Canada (2012)

Ph.D., University of Waterloo

M.Sc., McGill University

B.Sc. (Hon.), University of New Brunswick

Key publications

Robertson, W.D., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Schiff, S.L.  2020.  Nitrogen attenuation in septic system plumes.  Groundwater (in press)

Danielescu, S., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Bickerton, G., Roy, J.W.  2020.  Use of mature willows (Salix nigra) for hydraulic control of landfill-impacted groundwater in a temperate climate.  Journal of Environmental Management 272, Article 111106.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Brown, S.J., Spoelstra, J., Garda, D., Robertson, W.D., Smyth, S.A.  2020.  Variable persistence of artificial sweeteners during wastewater treatment:  Implications for future use as tracers.  Water Research 184, Article 116124.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Brown, S.J., Smyth, S.A.  2020.  Detections of alkyl-phenoxy-benzenesulfonates in municipal wastewater.  Chemosphere 251, Article 126386.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., MacKay, D.R., Brown, S.J., Collins, P.  2020.  Environmental fluxes of perchlorate in rural catchments, Ontario, Canada.  Science of the Total Environment 720, Article 137426.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Spoelstra, J., Brown, S.J., Robertson, W.D., Post, R., Smyth, S.A.  2019.  Sulfamate in environmental waters.  Science of the Total Environment 695, Article 133734.

Robertson, W.D., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Schiff, S.L.  2019.  Review of phosphorus attenuation in groundwater plumes from 24 septic systems.  Science of the Total Environment 692, 640-652.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Struger, J., Brown, S.J., 2019.  Perchlorate in environmental waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes watershed:  Evidence for uneven loading.  Journal of Great Lakes Research 45(2), 40-51.

Roy, N., Molson, J., Lemieux, J.-M., Van Stempvoort, D., Nowamooz, A.  2016.  Three-dimensional numerical simulations of methane gas migration from decommissioned hydrocarbon production wells into shallow aquifers.  Water Resources Research 52(7), 5598-5618.   

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Spoelstra, J., Senger, N.D., Brown, S.J., Post, R., Struger, J. 2016. Glyphosate residues in rural groundwater, Nottawasaga River Watershed, Ontario, Canada. Pest Management Science 72(10), 1862-1872.

Robertson, W.D., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Roy, J.W., Brown, S.J., Spoelstra, J., Schiff, S.L., Rudolph, D.R., S. Danielescu, S., Graham, G. 2016. Use of an artificial sweetener to identify sources of groundwater nitrate contamination. Groundwater 54(4), 579-587.

Robertson, W.D., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Spoelstra, J., Brown, S.J., Schiff, S.L. 2016. Degradation of sucralose in groundwater and implications for age dating contaminated groundwater. Water Research 88, 653-660.

Struger, J., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Brown, S.J. 2015. Sources of aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in urban and rural catchments in Ontario, Canada: glyphosate or phosphonates in wastewater? Environmental Pollution 204, 289-297.

Robertson, W.D., Roy, J.W., Brown, S.J., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Bickerton, G. 2014. Natural attenuation of perchlorate in denitrified groundwater. Groundwater 52(1), 63-70.

Van Stempvoort D.R., Roy J.W., Brown S.J., Bickerton, G. 2014. Residues of the herbicide glyphosate in riparian groundwater in urban catchments. Chemosphere 95, 455–463.

Roy, J.W., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Bickerton, G. 2014. Artificial sweeteners as potential tracers of municipal landfill leachate. Environmental Pollution 184, 89–93.

Jackson, R.E., Gorody, A.W., Mayer, B., Roy, J.W., Ryan, M.C., Van Stempvoort, D.R. 2013. Groundwater protection and unconventional gas extraction: The critical need for field-based hydrogeological research. Groundwater 51(4), 488-510.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., Roy, J.W., Grabuski, J., Brown, S.J., Bickerton, G., Sverko, E. 2013. An artificial sweetener and pharmaceutical compounds as co-tracers of urban wastewater in groundwater. Science of the Total Environment 461–462, 348–359.

Robertson, W.D., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Solomon, D.K., Homewood, J., Brown, S.J., Spoelstra, J., Schiff, S.L. 2013. Persistence of artificial sweeteners in a 15-year-old septic system plume. Journal of Hydrology 477, 43-54.

Yeung, C.W., Van Stempvoort, D.R., Spoelstra, J., Bickerton, G., Voralek, J., Greer, C.W. 2013. Bacterial community evidence for anaerobic degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in cold climate groundwater. Cold Regions Science & Technology 86, 55-68.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., W.D. Robertson, and S.J. Brown. 2011. Artificial sweeteners in a large septic plume. Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation 31(4): 95-102.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., J.W. Roy, S.J. Brown, and G. Bickerton. 2011. Artificial sweeteners as potential tracers in groundwater in urban environments. Journal of Hydrology 401 (1-2): 126–133.

Van Stempvoort, D.R. and Y.T.J. Kwong. 2010. Sulfur analyses as tracers of microbial degradation of hydrocarbons in the capillary fringe. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 114: 1–17.

Van Stempvoort, D.R. and K. Biggar. 2008. Potential for bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater under cold climate conditions: A review. Cold Regions Science & Technology 53(1): 16-41.

Van Stempvoort, D.R., J. Armstrong and B. Mayer. 2007. Microbial reduction of sulfate injected to gas condensate plumes in cold groundwater. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 92(3-4):184-207.

Van Stempvoort, D., H. Maathuis, E. Jaworski, B. Mayer and K. Rich. 2005. Oxidation of fugitive methane in ground water linked to bacterial sulfate reduction. Ground Water 43(2): 187-199.