Influence of hydrostratigraphy and structural setting on the arsenic occurrence in groundwater of the Cimino-Vico volcanic area (central Italy)

Arsenic occurrence in groundwater near the Cimino-Vico volcanoes (central Italy) was analysed considering the hydrostratigraphy and structural setting and the shallow and deep flows interacting within the Quaternary volcanics. Groundwater is the local source of drinking water. As documented in the past, arsenic in the groundwater has become a problem, and the European maximum allowable contaminant level was recently lowered to 10 μg/L. Chemical analyses of groundwater were conducted, sampled over an area of about 900 km², from 65 wells and springs representative of the volcanic aquifer and thermal waters. Considering the type of aquifer, the nature of the aquifer formation and its substratum, the hydrochemical data highlight that the arsenic content of the groundwater is mainly connected with the hydrothermal processes in the volcanic area. Thermal waters (54–60°C) fed from deep-rising fluids show higher arsenic concentrations (176–371 μg/L). Cold waters sampled from the volcanic aquifer are characterized by a wide variability in their arsenic concentration (1.6–195 μg/L), and about 62% exceed the limit of 10 μg/L. Where the shallow volcanic aquifer is open to deep-rising thermal fluids, relatively high arsenic concentrations (20–100 μg/L) are found. This occurs close to areas of the more recent volcano-tectonic structures.     

Role of high-elevation groundwater flows in the hydrogeology of the Cimino volcano (central Italy) and possibilities to capture drinking water in a geogenically contaminated environment

Origin, yield and quality of the groundwater flows at high elevation in the Cimino volcano (central Italy) were examined. In this area, groundwater is geogenically contaminated by arsenic and fluoride, yet supplies drinking water for approximately 170,000 inhabitants. The origin of the high-elevation groundwater flows is strictly related to vertical and horizontal variability of the rock types (lava flows, lava domes and ignimbrite) in an area of limited size. In some cases, groundwater circuits are related to perched aquifers above noncontinuous aquitards; in other cases, they are due to flows in the highly fractured dome carapace, limited at the bottom by a low-permeability dome core. The high-elevation groundwater outflow represents about 30% of the total recharge of Cimino’s hydrogeological system, which has been estimated at 9.8 L/s/km². Bicarbonate alkaline-earth, cold, neutral waters with low salinity, and notably with low arsenic and fluoride content, distinguish the high-elevation groundwaters from those of the basal aquifer. Given the quantity and quality of these resources, approaches in the capture and management of groundwater in this hydrogeological environment should be reconsidered. Appropriate tapping methods such as horizontal drains, could more efficiently capture the high-elevation groundwater resources, as opposed to the waters currently pumped from the basal aquifer which often require dearsenification treatments.