Hydrogeochemical Evaluation of Groundwater and Its Suitability for Various Uses in the Hastijan Aquifer (Central province –Iran)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 1Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Department of water Resource, Delijan, Iran

3 Mahallat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahallat, Iran

Abstract

Analytical results of 11 groundwater samples are used to evaluate the quality of groundwater in the Hastijan area, (Central province –Iran). The main indices of water, ions physicochemical characteristics and the important heavy metals concentration studied. to estimate of water quality, Piper, Ghibbs, Schoeller and Wilcox diagrams, Sodium Absorption Ratio, Color-Alkalinity and Saturation Index studied. Based on the analytical results, groundwater quality in the Hastijan area is generally varies from hard to very hard. The type and facies of water in study area is calcic bicarbonate and sodic and magnesic bicarbonate. In these waters, Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations is higher than Na+ and K+, and HCO3- is higher than SO42- and Cl-. Consideration of rocks composition in part of the study area shows that evaporation formation (limestone, Dolomite, Brown Sand Stone, marl, shale and intercalated with gypsum and salt) caused increased Na+, Cl- concentrations and salinity of the groundwater. The results of calculated saturation index show that the saturation index for carbonate minerals is positive and for sulfate minerals is negative. According to the parameters and international standards, almost all of groundwater in the study area is suitable and usable for agricultural purposes and to be used for drinking as good, acceptable water. Finally, the large portion of samples was corrosive for industrial usage.

Keywords

 
Aghanabati, S.A. 2004. Geology of Iran. Geological Survey of Iran. Geological Survey of Iran press, 708p.
Aghazadeh, N., Mohaddam, A., and Kymiaee, A. 2008. Assessment of hydrochemical properties of underground water in Salmas and Its Suitability for Various Uses. Journal of Esfahan University, 34:5.
Cotsier M., and Walraevens, k. 2006. Chemical characterization of the Neogene Aquifer, Belgium. Hydrogeology Journal, 1556-1568.
Foster G.D., Roberts E.C., Gruessner B., and Velinsky, D.J., 2000. Hydrogeochemistry and transport of organic contaminants in an urban wateshed of Chesapeake Bay(USA). Applied Geochemistry. 15: 901-915.
 Iranian National Standards Organization. 1992. Physical and chemical properties of drinking  water. No. 1053. Forth Edition.
Jalali, M. 2006. Chemical characteristics of groundwater in parts of mountainous region, Alvand, Hamadan, Iran. Environ. Geol., 51: 433-446.
Langmuir, D. 1997. Aqueous environmental geochemistry. Prentice Hall, Inc. 600p.
Moghimi, h. 2005. Hydrogeochemistry. Payam noor Univ. press. 218p.
Parkhurst, D.L., and Appelo C.A.J. 1999[r1] . User’s guide to PHREEQC(ver.2)-A computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical alculations. USGeol. Surv. Water-Resources Invest. Rept., 99–4259.
Piper, A.M. 1944. A graphic procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water-analyses.Trans.,Am. Geophysic.Union 25:914-923.
Sastri, JCV. 1994. Groundwater chemical quality in river basins, Hydrogeochemical facies and hydrogeochemical modeling. Lecture notes—refresher course conducted by school of Earth Sciences. Bharathidasan University,Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
 Sedaghat, M. 2003. Ground and water resource(underground water), payam noor Univ. press, 300p.
 Schoeller, H. 1967. Qualitative evaluation of groundwater resources. In: Methods and techniques of groundwater investigation and development. Water Research.Series-33,UNESCO,pp 44-2.
Subbarao, N. 2001.Geochemistry of groundwater in parts of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, ndia. Environmental Geology 41: 552-562.
Subramani, T., Elango L., and Damodarasamy S.R., 2005. Groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural use in Chithar River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Environmental Geology 47:1099-1110.
Todd, D.K., and Mays, L.W. 2000. Ground-water hydrology (Third Edition): John Wiley and Sons, New York, 636 p.
 Water resource of Central province. 2002. Study of quality and quantity of underground water in palang- darreh, hastijan, central province.
WHO, 2008. Guidelines for drinking-water quality, Recommendations, 3rd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva.
Wilcox, L.V. 1955. Classification and use of irrigation water. USDA, Circular 969. Washington, DC. USA.