Arsenic Distribution Pattern in Different Sources of Drinking Water and their Geological Background in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi, China

To study arsenic(As) content and distribution patterns as well as the genesis of different kinds of water, especially the different sources of drinking water in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi province, China, 139 water samples were collected at 62 sampling points from wells of different depths, from hot springs, and rivers. The As content of these samples was measured by the intermittent flowhydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry method(HG-AFS). The As concentrations in the drinking water in Guanzhong Basin vary greatly(0.00–68.08 μg/L), and the As concentration of groundwater in southern Guanzhong Basin is different from that in the northern Guanzhong Basin. Even within the same location in southern Guanzhong Basin, the As concentrations at different depths vary greatly. As concentration of groundwater from the shallow wells(50 m deep, 0.56–3.87 μg/L) is much lower than from deep wells(110–360 m deep, 19.34–62.91 μg/L), whereas As concentration in water of any depth in northern Guanzhong Basin is 10 μg/L. Southern Guanzhong Basin is a newly discovered high-As groundwater area in China. The high-As groundwater is mainly distributed in areas between the Qinling Mountains and Weihe River; it has only been found at depths ranging from 110 to 360 m in confined aquifers, which store water in the Lishi and Wucheng Loess(Lower and Middle Pleistocene) in the southern Guanzhong Basin. As concentration of hot spring water is 6.47–11.94 μg/L; that of geothermal water between 1000 and 1500 m deep is 43.68–68.08 μg/L. The high-As well water at depths from 110 to 360 m in southern Guanzhong Basin has a very low fluorine(F) value, which is generally 0.10 mg/L. Otherwise, the hot springs of Lintong and Tangyu and the geothermal water in southern Guanzhong Basin have very high F values(8.07–14.96 mg/L). The results indicate that highAs groundwater in depths from 110 to 360 m is unlikely to have a direct relationship with the geothermal water in the same area. As concentration of all reservoirs and rivers(both contaminated and uncontaminated) in the Guanzhong Basin is 10 μg/L. This shows that pollution in the surface water is not the source of the high-As in the southern Guanzhong Basin. The partition boundaries of the high- and low-As groundwater area corresponds to the partition boundaries of the tectonic units in the Guanzhong Basin. This probably indicates that the high-As groundwater areas can be correlated to their geological underpinning and structural framework. In southern Guanzhong Basin, the main sources of drinking water for villages and small towns today are wells between 110–360 m deep. All of their As contents exceed the limit of the Chinese National Standard and the International Standard(10 μg/L) and so local residents should use other sources of clean water that are 50 m deep, instead of deep groundwater(110 to 360 m) for their drinking water supply.

Arsenic Distribution Pattern in Different Sources of Drinking Water and their Geological Background in Guanzhong Basin,Shaanxi, China

To study arsenic (As) content and distribution patterns as well as the genesis of different kinds of water, especially the different sources of drinking water in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi province, China, 139 water samples were collected at 62 sampling points from wells of different depths, from hot springs, and rivers. The As content of these samples was measured by the intermittent flow‐hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry method (HG‐AFS). The As concentrations in the drinking water in Guanzhong Basin vary greatly (0.00–68.08 μg/L), and the As concentration of groundwater in southern Guanzhong Basin is different from that in the northern Guanzhong Basin. Even within the same location in southern Guanzhong Basin, the As concentrations at different depths vary greatly. As concentration of groundwater from the shallow wells (<50 m deep, 0.56–3.87 μg/L) is much lower than from deep wells (110–360 m deep, 19.34–62.91 μg/L), whereas As concentration in water of any depth in northern Guanzhong Basin is <10 μg/L. Southern Guanzhong Basin is a newly discovered high‐As groundwater area in China. The high‐As groundwater is mainly distributed in areas between the Qinling Mountains and Weihe River; it has only been found at depths ranging from 110 to 360 m in confined aquifers, which store water in the Lishi and Wucheng Loess (Lower and Middle Pleistocene) in the southern Guanzhong Basin. As concentration of hot spring water is 6.47–11.94 μg/L; that of geothermal water between 1000 and 1500 m deep is 43.68–68.08 μg/L. The high‐As well water at depths from 110 to 360 m in southern Guanzhong Basin has a very low fluorine (F) value, which is generally <0.10 mg/L. Otherwise, the hot springs of Lintong and Tangyu and the geothermal water in southern Guanzhong Basin have very high F values (8.07–14.96 mg/L). The results indicate that high‐As groundwater in depths from 110 to 360 m is unlikely to have a direct relationship with the geothermal water in the same area. As concentration of all reservoirs and rivers (both contaminated and uncontaminated) in the Guanzhong Basin is <10 μg/L. This shows that pollution in the surface water is not the source of the high‐As in the southern Guanzhong Basin. The partition boundaries of the high‐ and low‐As groundwater area corresponds to the partition boundaries of the tectonic units in the Guanzhong Basin. This probably indicates that the high‐As groundwater areas can be correlated to their geological underpinning and structural framework. In southern Guanzhong Basin, the main sources of drinking water for villages and small towns today are wells between 110–360 m deep. All of their As contents exceed the limit of the Chinese National Standard and the International Standard (>10 μg/L) and so local residents should use other sources of clean water that are <50 m deep, instead of deep groundwater (110 to 360 m) for their drinking water supply.