Hydrochemical properties and groundwater quality evaluation in Suzhou City, lower Yangtze Delta, China

Detailed study of the chemical analysis results of 49 groundwater samples collected from the region's second confined aquifer were carried out in an attempt to identify the samples' hydrochemical properties and to assess the quality and usability of groundwater in Suzhou city, China. The r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science 2019-10, Vol.344 (1), p.12063
Main Authors: Zhu, X M, Pan, Z R, Zhao, D H, Zhang, W, Ruan, X H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonia
Anthropogenic factors
Aquifers
Bicarbonates
Calcium
Chemical analysis
Confined aquifers
Contamination
Drinking water
Factor analysis
Groundwater
Groundwater pollution
Groundwater quality
Hydrogeochemistry
Industrial applications
Ions
Isotopes
Metals
Quality assessment
Quality standards
Sodium
Sodium carbonate
Water quality
Water quality standards
Water sampling
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Detailed study of the chemical analysis results of 49 groundwater samples collected from the region's second confined aquifer were carried out in an attempt to identify the samples' hydrochemical properties and to assess the quality and usability of groundwater in Suzhou city, China. The results revealed that sodium, calcium and bicarbonate were the dominant ions in the groundwater samples. Na-HCO3, mixed Na-Ca-HCO3, Ca-HCO3, and Na-Cl type were the four major hydrochemical facies identified by a Piper Trilinear diagram. It was observed that the concentration of ammonia and nitrite in most of the samples in study area exceeded the permissible limit values prescribed by the national (China) and international (WHO) drinking water guidelines. Anthropogenic activities have been shown to be largely responsible for groundwater contamination. Scatter diagrams and factor analysis suggest that natural weathering processes, along with anthropogenic activities, control the hydrogeochemistry of groundwater. On the basis of the analytical results of the 49 groundwater samples as compared to water quality standards, it was found that majority of groundwater samples were not suitable for drinking or for industrial uses directly. Toxic metals and high levels of ions must be removed to render the groundwater suitable for drinking and industrial purposes. However, salinity, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and sodium percentage (Na%) values indicate that most of groundwater samples were suitable for irrigation purposes.
ISSN:1755-1307
1755-1315
DOI:10.1088/1755-1315/344/1/012063