Assessment of Water Quality After 10 Years of Reclaimed Water Injection: The Nardò Fractured Aquifer (Southern Italy) |
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| Authors: | Costantino Masciopinto Carmelo Carrieri |
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| Institution: | Costantino Masciopino;, an engineer, is a scientist of the National Research Council, Water Research Institute of Bari (IRSA-CNR, Via Francesco De Blasio, 5-z.i. 70123 Bari, Italy). He is a member of IRIS (the national group for ground water resources management and protection). He has been involved in research development on ground water artificial recharge. At the present, he is planning researches on flow and contaminants transport in fractured rocks. The principal purpose of the research project is ground water protection by pollution sources. Carmelo Carrieri;, a chemist, is a scientist of the National Research Council, Water Research Institute of Bari (IRSA-CNR, Via Francesco De Blasio, 5-z.i. 70123 Bari, Italy) since 7970. He has been involved in research development in waste water treatment processes for biological nitrogen removal, and anaerobic processes for sludge and liquid waste at high organic concentration. Moreover, he was involved in brackish and sea water desalination and solid waste treatments and management. At the present, he is a consultant to local government authorities. He is a member of the International Water Quality Association and of the Society of Italian Chemists. |
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| Abstract: | Experimental studies have been carried out in a fractured coastal aquifer of the Salento region (Nardò, Italy), which has been subjected to 12,000 m3/day of treated municipal waste water injected into a natural sinkhole since 1991. The analytical parameters of ground water sampled in 30 monitoring wells in the area down gradient from the sinkhole, taking into account the direction of ground water flow, have been compared before and after injection. The water table mound (1.5 m), the reduction of sea water extent (2 km), and the spreading of injected pollutants were evaluated by means of a mathematical model. The predicted values in the monitoring wells were adjusted to inorganic nitrogen biodegradation using transformation rates developed in laboratory tests. After 10 years, the injection has increased the volume of the available resource for agricultural and drinking water use, without any notable decrease in the preexisting ground water quality. Moreover, to preserve water resources from pollution, the mathematical model allowed the maximum constituent concentrations (standards) in waste water reclamation for recharge to be identified. A precautionary area around the sinkhole was also defined so that withdrawal prohibition could be implemented to avoid risks to human health. |
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