Vulnerability assessment of urban groundwater resources to nitrate: the case study of Mashhad,Iran

Groundwater vulnerability assessment of urban areas is a challenging task in the fast trend of urbanization around the globe. This study introduces a new approach for modifying well-known parameters of common vulnerability indexes to adjust them for urban areas. The approach is independent of a specific weighting system. The aquifer of Mashhad city, contaminated by domestic wastewater, is selected as a case in this study. In order to evaluate the aquifer vulnerability due to anthropogenic activities, at first, parameters of depth to groundwater, recharge, land use, and soil are modified based on their basic concepts and their influences on contamination attenuation. Then, the modified parameters are used simultaneously in several index methods to investigate the capability of the modified parameters to increase correlation coefficient of all employed index methods with the measured nitrate concentration. Accuracy of the modified methods is evaluated by Spearman nonparametric correlation. It is shown that considering the wastewater discharge into recharge parameter leads to an increase of 20% in correlation coefficient. Also, level difference technique shows that more than 70% of the vulnerable areas are predicted correctly in all utilized methods. The accurate prediction in all employed methods indicates that these modifications are independent of the type of index method. Moreover, sensitivity analysis reveals that the recharge and the land use are both the most significant parameters for evaluating the vulnerability.     

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater in Isfahan province, Iran

Groundwater quality in five catchment areas in Isfahan province of Iran is assessed by measuring physicochemical parameters including major cation and anion compositions, pH, total dissolved solid, electrical conductivity and total hardness. For this purpose, 567 piezometric well samples were collected in October 2007. The abundance of major ions in four of the catchment areas including Gavkhuni, Ardestan, Salt lake and Central Iran desert basins is similar and follows Cl^??>?SO₄ ^2??>?Na⁺?>?HCO₃ ^??>?Ca²⁺?>?Mg²⁺?>?K⁺?>?CO₃ ^2? trend, while in the fifth basin (Karoon), the trend changes into HCO₃ ^??>?Ca²⁺?>?Cl^??>?SO₄ ^2??>?Mg²⁺?>?Na⁺?>?K⁺?>CO₃ ^2?. In general, four water facies are determined and it is shown that alkali elements and strong acids are dominating over alkaline earth and weak acids. Statistical analysis including Mann?CWhitney U test indicate that physicochemical parameters in three of the five investigated basins [Gavkhuni, Ardestan and Central Iran desert (CID)] are similar, while Karoon and salt lake basins display different characteristics. The result indicate that groundwater west of the province is suitable for irrigation, while in the central and eastern parts of the province the groundwater loses its quality for this purpose. It is concluded that mineral dissolution and evapotranspiration are the main processes that determine major ion compositions.     

Using of neural networks for the prediction of nitrate groundwater contamination in rural and agricultural areas

As a neural network provides a non-linear function mapping of a set of input variables into the corresponding network output, without the requirement of having to specify the actual mathematical form of the relation between the input and output variables, it has the versatility for modeling a wide range of complex non-linear phenomena. In this study, groundwater contamination by nitrate, the ANNs are applied as a new type of model to estimate the nitrate contamination of the Gaza Strip aquifer. A set of six explanatory variables for 139 sampled wells was used and that have a significant influence were identified by using ANN model. The Multilayer Perceptrons (MLP), Radial Basis Function (RBF), Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN), and Linear Networks were used. The best network found to simulate Nitrate was MLP with six input nodes and four hidden nodes. The input variables are: nitrogen load, housing density in 500-m radius area surrounding wells, well depth, screen length, well discharge, and infiltration rate. The best network found had good performance (regression ratio 0.2158, correlation 0.9773, and error 8.4322). Bivariate statistical test also were used and resulting in considerable unexplained variation in nitrate concentration. Based on ANN model, groundwater contamination by nitrate depends not on any single factor but on the combination of them.     

Health risk assessments due to nitrate levels in drinking water in villages of Azadshahr,northeastern Iran

Groundwater is the main water source used for drinking and cooking purposes globally. Nitrate level in most groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid areas has increased in the past several decades as a result of human activities and natural processes. This may exert a great impact on human health. To learn the contamination circumstances of groundwater nitrate in villages of Azadshahr, Iran and assess its probable risk to the health of adults, children and infants, fifty-eight groundwater samples were collected from wells and springs in 2018. Nitrate concentrations had a wide spatial variability in wells and springs of the studied villages, with values going from 1 up to 51 mg/L. Exceedances of the EPA standard value were limited to two village springs (villages Nili and Narab, with nitrate level of 51 and 46 mg/L, respectively). The hazard quotients (HQ) values for 41% of children and infants were above the safety level (i.e., HQ?>?1), suggesting that groundwater nitrate would have significant health effects on these age groups. Therefore, appropriate control measures and sanitation improvement programs should be put in place to protect the health of the residents in the contaminated villages.     

Potentially toxic metal concentration,spatial distribution,and health risk assessment in drinking groundwater resources of southeast Iran

In this study, the concentration and spatial distribution of potentially toxic metals(PTMs), including arsenic(As), cadmium(Cd), chromium(Cr), lead(Pb), copper(Cu), iron(Fe), manganese(Mn), and magnesium(Mg) in 23 wells and drinking groundwater distribution networks of Rafsanjan, located in southeast Iran were evaluated. Moreover, the assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks was estimated by Monte Carlo simulation(MCS). The results showed that the concentrations of As and Pb in more than 99% and 23.46% of the study area, respectively, were higher than the maximum concentration level(10 μg/L). The mean concentration of other metals, including Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, and Mn in all drinking water resources was within the WHO standard level. The mean hazard quotient(HQ) for As in the age group of children was 9.246 and adults 2.972, indicating high non-carcinogenic risk of As in the study area. The lifetime cancer risk(LTCR) of As was 1.36 E-3 for adults and 1.52 E-2 for children, indicating high non-carcinogenic risk of As. The level of HQ and LTCR for Pb in both age groups was in the acceptable range. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that the most effective variables were pollutant concentration and body weight(BW), respectively. Finally, it can be concluded that exposure to PTMs, especially As through drinking water in the study area can have significant effects on people’s health living in the area;therefore, it is necessary to treat and remove As from groundwater resources before drinking or using for domestic purpose.     

鄱阳湖平原地下水重金属含量特征与健康风险评估

鄱阳湖平原作为长江中下游平原的重要组成部分,随着城镇化进程的快速推进,由于工矿业污染物、农村生活污水和农业生产废水向地下水的过量排放,农村地下水污染程度和范围不断扩大,为了解鄱阳湖平原地下水重金属污染状况,本研究在大量的水文地质调查和水化学样品测试基础上,分析该区地下水中重金属Cu、As、Cr、Hg、Pb、Cd含量特征,利用美国环境保护署(USEPA)的健康风险评价模型对鄱阳湖平原地下水重金属进行健康风险评价。研究区171个地下水样品中Cd、Cu、Hg、As、Pb、Cr等6种重金属元素含量变化幅度大,其中Hg、Cd和As平均值超过《地下水环境质量标准》(GB/T14848—2017)Ⅲ类标准,结果表明鄱阳湖平原地下水水质受人为影响大,局部地下水存在严重的污染。致癌物健康风险评价结果显示,Cr、As和Cd的平均个人年健康风险值均大于可接受风险值,Cr的健康风险值最大,是主要的致癌因子,As次之,Cd最低;非致癌物质健康风险结果显示,Hg、Pb和Cu的健康风险水平表现为Hg>Pb>Cu,属于可忽略风险。区域饮水途径上的健康风险主要来自致癌物质,总体上男性健康风险大于女性的健康风险。鄱阳湖平原地下水水质污染状况研究及治理监管工作提供理论依据,为其他区域地下水重金属的监测和质量控制提供参考和借鉴。     

关中盆地浅层地下水氮污染的健康风险评价

为了研究关中盆地浅层地下水氮污染对人体产生的潜在健康危害风险,在研究区采集和测试了232个水样,采用单因子污染指数法和健康风险评价模型对浅层地下水氮污染进行了评价。结果表明,在浅层地下水中硝态氮污染程度相对较重,呈面状分布;而铵态氮和亚硝态氮污染程度较轻,以点状存在。浅层地下水中硝态氮对人体健康的慢性毒害指数较高,高风险区占研究区面积的78.2%,主要分布在农业活动强烈的灌区和人口居住密集、工业相对发达的城镇区;硝态氮含量大于12.6mg/L的三类地下水对人体健康也是高风险的,即传统意义上可以饮用的三类水对人体健康并不都是安全的。上述成果对地下水资源管理和保护具有重要的参考价值。     

地下水脆弱性和风险性评价研究进展综述

地下水脆弱性和风险性评价与区划是区域地下水资源保护的重要依据。本文回顾了各国地下水脆弱性评价与编图研究工作以及地下水污染风险评价研究的最新进展,提出地下水污染风险评价的框架及其指标体系,最后指出今后需要深入研究的问题。     

Geochemical and quality assessment of groundwater of Marand Basin, East Azarbaijan Province, northwestern Iran

The chemical analysis of 83 water wells in the Marand area, Azarbaijan Province NW of Iran was evaluated to determine the hydrogeochemical processes and ion concentration background in the region. Over the entire area, the dominated hydrochemical types are Ca? +?Mg?+?SO₄?+?Cl, Ca?+?SO₄, Na?+?Cl and Ca?+?Mg?+?HCO₃. Based on the total hardness, the softness of the groundwater is determined. According to electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), the most dominant classes are C3?CS1, C3?CS2, C4?CS2 and C2?CS1. The major ion concentrations are below the acceptable level for drinking water. The groundwater salinity hazard is medium to high, but the Na hazard is low to medium; with regard to irrigation water, the quality is low to medium. So, a drainage system is necessary to avoid the increase of toxic salt concentrations.     

Spatial and statistical assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater:Case of Sais Basin,Morocco

The objective of this study is to evaluate the nitrate contamination in the plioquaternary aquifer of Sais Basin based on a statistical approach. A total of 98 samples were collected in the cultivated area during the spring and autumn period of 2018. The results show that 55% and 57% of the samples in spring and autumn respectively exceed the threshold fixed by WHO(50 mg/L). However, nitrate concentrations do not show seasonal and spatial variation(p0.05). The results of the correlation matrix, principal component analysis(PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) suggest that nitrate pollution is related to anthropogenic source. Moreover, multiple linear regression results show that NO_3 is more positively explained in the spring period by Ca and SO_4 and negatively explained by pH and HCO_3. Regarding the autumn period, nitrate pollution is positively explained by Ca and negatively by pH. This study proposes a useful statistical platform for assessing nitrate pollution in groundwater.     

GIS-based groundwater spring potential assessment and mapping in the Birjand Township,southern Khorasan Province,Iran

Three statistical models—frequency ratio (FR), weights-of-evidence (WofE) and logistic regression (LR)—produced groundwater-spring potential maps for the Birjand Township, southern Khorasan Province, Iran. In total, 304 springs were identified in a field survey and mapped in a geographic information system (GIS), out of which 212 spring locations were randomly selected to be modeled and the remaining 92 were used for the model evaluation. The effective factors—slope angle, slope aspect, elevation, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), slope length (LS), plan curvature, lithology, land use, and distance to river, road, fault—were derived from the spatial database. Using these effective factors, groundwater spring potential was calculated using the three models, and the results were plotted in ArcGIS. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn for spring potential maps and the area under the curve (AUC) was computed. The final results indicated that the FR model (AUC?=?79.38 %) performed better than the WofE (AUC?=?75.69 %) and LR (AUC?=?63.71 %) models. Sensitivity and factor analyses concluded that the bivariate statistical index model (i.e. FR) can be used as a simple tool in the assessment of groundwater spring potential when a sufficient number of data are obtained.     

Fluoride,nitrate and water hardness in groundwater supplied to the rural communities of Ensenada County,Baja California,Mexico

The hydrogeochemistry of 26 wells belonging to ten different aquifers in the county of Ensenada, Baja California, is studied. These wells are all used to supply the rural communities in the region, which comprise ~37,000 inhabitants, excluding the city of Ensenada. High total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations (maximum 7.35 g l⁻¹) indicate that salt is a ubiquitous contaminant in the aquifers due to seawater intrusion. The aquifers that support extensive agriculture activities (Maneadero, San Quintín, San Simón and El Rosario) are characterized by higher N–NO₃ concentrations (maximum 20 mg l⁻¹) derived from fertilizers. Fluoride concentrations exceed the 1.5 mg l⁻¹ Mexican official limit in only four wells. The enrichments of F⁻ in the southern aquifers are thought to be associated to water–rock interactions controlled mainly by Na–Ca equilibrium reactions with fluorite, as suggested from high dissolved Na concentrations in these waters. In the northern aquifer of Maneadero, no enrichment of Na is found and a geothermal source for F⁻ is likely. Water is hard to moderately hard, with Ca/Mg ratios >1. Although drinking water directly from the tap is not a common practice in these localities, most sources have concentrations of major ions and TDS that exceed the Mexican official limits.     

Groundwater nitrate contamination and risk assessment in an agricultural area,South Korea

The nitrate of groundwater in the Gimpo agricultural area, South Korea, was characterized by means of nitrate concentration, nitrogen-isotope analysis, and the risk assessment of nitrogen. The groundwaters belonging to Ca–(Cl + NO₃) and Na–(Cl + NO₃) types displayed a higher average NO₃ ⁻ concentration (79.4 mg/L), exceeding the Korean drinking water standard (<44.3 mg/L NO₃ ⁻). The relationship between δ¹⁸O–NO₃ ⁻ values and δ¹⁵N–NO₃ ⁻ values revealed that nearly all groundwater samples with δ¹⁵N–NO₃ ⁻ of +7.57 to +13.5‰ were affected by nitrate from manure/sewage as well as microbial nitrification and negligible denitrification. The risk assessment of nitrate for groundwater in the study area was carried out using the risk-based corrective action model since it was recognized that there is a necessity of a quantitative assessment of health hazard, as well as a simple estimation of nitrate concentration. All the groundwaters of higher nitrate concentration than the Korean drinking water standard (<44.3 mg/L NO₃ ⁻) belonged to the domain of the hazard index <1, indicating no health hazard by nitrate in groundwater in the study area. Further, the human exposure to the nitrate-contaminated soil was below the critical limit of non-carcinogenic risk.     

Assessment of nitrate contamination in unsaturated zone of urban areas: The case study of Tehran,Iran

Modeling fate of nitrogen in unsaturated and saturated zone is a complex process, which requires detailed geochemical data. Complexities of the process as well as data insufficiencies are two major issues, which make quantitative assessment of the problem more complicated. In this work, a lumped-parameter model (LPM) is proposed that has been evaluated for a data-limited case to study temporal and steady-state behavior of Nitrate and Ammonium in unsaturated zone. The concentration of components in the model are assumed as the depth-averaged concentrations, and dispersive fluxes have been neglected. The case study area is Tehran City aquifer, which is highly contaminated by domestic wastewater discharge into the groundwater. Three sources for Nitrogen contamination have been studied, namely domestic wastewater, park/recreational applications, and wet deposition. Results show that Nitrate production in the first few meters (<5 m) is quite large. To compare the model results with the measurements, error estimation analysis based on Vornoi map has been fulfilled. Finally, it is shown that there is a fairly good correlation coefficient between simulation and measurements, which approves the validity of the LPM.     

Empirical analysis of electromagnetic profiles for groundwater prospecting in rural areas of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria

The Slingram electromagnetic (EM) survey using a coil separation of 60 and 100 m was carried out in ten villages in the Akinyele area of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria to aid in the development of groundwater. Five main rock types including an undifferentiated gneiss complex (Su), biotite-garnet schist/gneiss (Bs), quartzite and quartz schist (Q), migmatized undifferentiated biotite/hornblende gneiss (M) and pegmatite/quartz vein (P) underlie the study area. A total of 31 EM profiles was made to accurately locate prospective borehole sites in the field. Four main groups with different behavioural patterns were categorized from the EM profiles. Group 1 is characterized by a high density of positive (HDP) or a high density of negative (HDN) real and imaginary curves, Group 2 by parallel real and imaginary curves intersecting with negligible amplitude (PNA), Group 3 by frequent intersection of a high density of negative minima (FHN) real and imaginary curves, and Group 4 by separate and approximately parallel (SAP) real and imaginary curves. Qualitative pictures of the overburden thickness and the extent of fracturing have been proposed from these behavioural patterns. A comparison of the borehole yield with the overburden thickness and the level of fracturing shows that the borehole yield depends more on the fracture density than on the overburden thickness. The asymmetry of the anomaly was also found to be useful in the determination of the inclination of the conductor/fracture.

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Résumé Une prospection électromagnétique Silgram (EM) utilisant une séparation de 60 et 100 m, a été réalisée sur 10 sites villageois dans la zone d’Akinyele, Ibadan, au Sud-Ouest du Nigeria, pour le développement de l’exploitation des eaux souterraines. De cette manière il a été possible de définir cinq principaux types de roches comprenant un complexe gneissique indifférencié (Su), un schiste gneissique à biotite et garnet (Bs), une quartzite et un schiste quartzitique (Q), un gneiss migmatisé à hornblende et biotite indifférenciées (M) et une veine de pegmatite et quartz recouvrant la zone d’étude. Un total de 31 profils EM a été réalisé de manière à améliorer sérieusement la localisation des forages de reconnaissance. Quatre groupes principaux ont été définis sur base de leur comportement dans les profils EM. Le Groupe 1 est caractérisé par une forte densité de courbes réelles et imaginaires, positives ou négatives (HDP ou HDN). Le Groupe 2 est caractérisé par des courbes parallèles, réelles et imaginaires, superposées à une amplitude négligeable (PNA). Le Groupe 3 rassemble les densités importantes de courbes réelles et imaginaires, d’amplitude négative minimum, fréquemment intersectées. Le Groupe 4 rassemble les courbes réelles et imaginaires, distinctes et sensiblement parallèles (SAP). Les images qualitatives de l’épaisseur de la couverture et la largeur des fractures ont pu être déterminées sur base du comportement des éléments précédemment cités. La comparaison des débits de forage, de l’épaisseur de la couche supérieure, et du degré de fracturation, montre que le débit du forage dépend plus de la densité de forage que de l’épaisseur de la couverture. L’asymétrie des anomalies a par ailleurs été très utile pour déterminer l’inclinaison des fractures conductrices.

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Resumen Se llevó a cabo un levantamiento electromagnético (EM) Slingram utilizando una separación de bobinas de 60 y 100 metros en 10 comunidades en el área Akinyele de Ibadan, suroeste de Nigeria para ayudar en el desarrollo de agua subterránea. Cinco tipos de rocas principales incluyendo un complejo de gneiss no diferenciado (Su), gneiss/esquisto de granate-biotita (Bs), cuarzita y esquisto de cuarzo (Q), gneiss de hornblenda/biotita migmatizado no diferenciado (M) y vetas de cuarzo/pegmatita (P) se encuentran en el área de estudio. Se levantaron un total de 31 perfiles EM para localizar con precisión sitios prospectivos para pozos en el campo. Se distinguieron cuatro grupos principales con diferente patrón de comportamiento a partir de los perfiles EM. El Grupo 1 se caracteriza por una alta densidad de curvas reales e imaginarias positivas (HDP) o negativas (HDN); el Grupo 2 por curvas paralelas reales e imaginarias que se interceptan con amplitud despreciable (PNA); el Grupo 3 por intersección frecuente de curvas reales e imaginarias con mínimos negativos de alta densidad (FHN); y el Grupo 4 por curvas imaginarias y reales separadas y aproximadamente paralelas (SAP). A partir de estos patrones de comportamiento se han propuesto cuadros cualitativos del espesor del material superficial y la extensión de fracturamiento. Una comparación de la productividad del pozo en relación al espesor del material superficial y el nivel de fracturamiento muestra que la productividad del pozo depende más de la densidad de fracturamiento que del espesor del material superficial. También se encontró que la asimetría de la anomalía era útil en la determinación de la inclinación de la fractura/conductor.

     

Nitrate contamination in irrigation groundwater,Isfahan, Iran

Groundwater is one of the major sources of water in Isfahan. Efficient management of these resources requires a good understanding of its status. This paper focuses on the hydrochemistry and also it wants to assess the nitrate concentration in irrigation groundwater of Isfahan suburb. All the groundwater samples are grouped into three categories, including Na-Cl + Ca-Cl (63 %), Na-SO₄ + Ca-SO₄ (23 %) and Ca-HCO₃ (14 %). According to the EC and SAR, the most dominant classes are C3S1, C4S2 and C4S3. 55 % of samples indicate very high salinity and medium to very high alkalinity that is not suitable for irrigation. 84 % of the groundwater samples show nitrate contents higher than HAV (13 mg l^?), while more than 25 % exceeded the maximum contamination level (44.27 mg l^?) according to EPA regulations. The horizontal and vertical distribution patterns of nitrate in groundwater samples show a surficial origin for nitrate contamination. The high nitrate content can be attributed to the agricultural activities along with domestic sewage and industrial wastewaters in populated area. Based on results, using high nitrate groundwater for irrigation can minimize the requirement for inorganic fertilizers and reduce the cost of cultivation and nitrate contamination.     

Hydrochemical investigation and quality assessment of ground water in rural areas of Delhi,India

The suitability of groundwater quality for drinking and agricultural purposes was assessed in the rural areas of Delhi based on the various water quality parameters. A total of 50 ground water samples were collected randomly from different sources viz. hand pump, tube well, boring and analyzed for major ion chemistry to understand the operating mechanism of geochemical processes for ground water quality. The quality analysis is performed through the estimation of pH, EC, TDS, total hardness, total alkalinity, Na, K, Cl, NO₃, SO₄, DO, BOD, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn and Pb. Hydrochemical facies were identified using Piper, Durov and Chadha diagram. Chemical data were also used for mathematical calculations (SAR, %Na, RSC, PI, KI, and chloroalkaline indices) for better understanding the suitability of ground water for irrigation purposes. The results of saturation index shows that all the water samples were supersaturated to undersaturated with respect to carbonate minerals and undersaturated with respect to sulphate and chloride minerals. According to USSL diagram, most of the samples fall in the field of C₃S₁, indicating medium salinity and low sodium water which can be used for almost all types of soil with little danger of exchangeable sodium. Assessment of water samples from various methods indicated that majority of the ground water in the study area is chemically suitable for drinking and agricultural uses.     

Statistical models for the assessment of nitrate contamination in urban groundwater using GIS

The purpose of this study is to develop statistical models for groundwater quality assessment in urban areas using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). To develop the models, the concentrations of nitrate (expressed as nitrogen, NO₃-N), which are different according to the type of land use, well depth and distribution of rainfall, were analyzed in the Seoul (the capital of South Korea) area. Data such as land use, location of wells and groundwater quality data for nitrate contamination were collected and a database constructed within GIS. The distribution of NO₃-N concentrations is not normal, and the results of the Mann-Whitney U-test analysis show the difference of NO₃-N concentration by well depth and by distribution of rainfall. In both the shallow and deep wells, the radius of influence is 200 m in the dry season and 250 m in the rainy season, showing the tendency to increase in the rainy season. The results of correlation and regression analysis indicate that mixed residential and business areas and cropped field areas are likely to be the major contributor of increasing NO₃-N concentration. Land uses are better correlated with NO₃-N in deep wells than in shallow wells.