Grounding a natural background level for fluoride in a potentially contaminated crystalline aquifer in south India

Fluoride contamination is one of the most alarming issues for those countries that depend on groundwater drinking water supply. A careful examination of the hydrogeochemical conditions and routine monitoring of fluoride level are therefore quintessential. Estimation of natural background level (NBL)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science and pollution research international 2017-12, Vol.24 (34), p.26623-26633
Main Author: Sajil Kumar, P. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic Pollution
Aquifers
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Contamination
Drinking water
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Environmental science
Fluorides
Geostatistics
Groundwater
Hydrogeochemistry
Principal components analysis
Research Article
Waste Water Technology
Water conveyance
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water shortages
Water supply
Water supply systems
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Summary:Fluoride contamination is one of the most alarming issues for those countries that depend on groundwater drinking water supply. A careful examination of the hydrogeochemical conditions and routine monitoring of fluoride level are therefore quintessential. Estimation of natural background level (NBL) of fluoride becomes significant information for assessing the current and future contamination episodes. Vellore District in Tamil Nadu is a hard rock terrain known for its F-rich groundwater. In this study, we attempted to form a benchmark for fluoride using hydrochemical pre-selection (based on TDS and NO 3 ) and cumulative probability plots (CPP). Principle components analysis is (PCA) applied to evaluate the corresponding factor grouping of the total of 68 samples, which is later mapped using geostatistical tool in ArcGIS. From the CPP, we derived the NBL of F as 0.75 mg/L. This value is compared with the observed concentration in each sample and they were spatially plotted based on the NBL. Resultant plot suggests that W-NW part of the study area has exceeded and E-EW regions are below the NBL of F. Spatial variation of the factor scores also supported this observation. Grounding an NBL and extending it to other parts of the potential contaminated aquifers are highly recommended for better understanding and management of the water supply systems.
ISSN:0944-1344
1614-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11356-017-0239-0