Assessment of water quality suitability for agriculture in a potentially leachate-contaminated region
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Abstract: Dump sites pose a significant threat to groundwater resources due to the possibility of leachate leakage into the aquifer. This study investigated the impact of leachate on groundwater quality in the southwest region of Zanjan City, Iran, where groundwater is utilized for drinking, agricultural, and industrial purposes. We analyzed 18 parameters of dump site leachate, including physicochemical, heavy metals, and bacterial properties, alongside 13 groundwater samples. Sampling was conducted twice, in November 2020 and June 2021, within a five-kilometer radius of the Zanjan dump site. We utilized the Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) to evaluate potential groundwater contamination by leachate leakage from nearby dumpsite. Additionally, due to the predominant agricultural activities in the study area, various indices were employed to assess groundwater quality for agricultural purposes, such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Soluble Sodium Index (SSI), Kelly Ratio (KR), and Permeability Index (PI). Our analysis revealed no observed contamination related to leachate in the study area according to the LPI results. However, with the persistent pollution threat, implementing sanitary measures at the dump site is crucial to prevent potential impacts on groundwater quality. Moreover, the assessment of groundwater quality adequacy for irrigation yielded satisfactory results for SAR, KR, and PI indices. However, during both the dry (November 2020) and wet seasons (June 2021), the SSP index indicated that 80% of the samples were not classified as excellent, suggesting groundwater may not be suitable for agriculture. Overall, our qualitative study highlights the significant impact of the dry season on groundwater quality in the study area, attributed to elevated concentration levels of the investigated parameters within groundwater sources during the dry season.
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Table 1. Location of sampling in the vicinity of Zanjan dump site
Site Depth /m Distance from dump site /Km Groundwater direction Land use 1 130 3.4 Upstream Agriculture 2 110 3.8 Upstream Livestock 3 120 3.6 Upstream Aviculture 4 80 3.5 Upstream Aviculture 5 135 1.5 Downstream Agriculture 6 8 2.9 Downstream Residential 7 120 3.7 Downstream Industrial 8 157 4.15 Downstream Agriculture 9 140 4.3 Downstream Agriculture 10 120 4.5 Downstream Livestock 11 145 4.8 Downstream Agriculture 12 85 5.2 Downstream Aviculture 13 89 5.4 Downstream Industrial Table 2. Limits set for agricultural indicators
Category/Index SAR SSP KR PI Great <10 <20 _ >75 Good 18–10 20–40 _ 25–75 Medium 18–26 40–60 _ _ Suspect _ 60–80 _ _ Inappropriate >26 >80 _ <25 Usable _ _ <1 _ Unusable _ _ >1 _ Note: In all the proposed indicators, values are entered in milliequivalents per liter Table 3. Summary of physicochemical parameters
Parameter Groundwater Parameter Leachate Dry seasons Wet seasons Dry seasons Wet seasons Average Max Min Average Max Min Fresh waste Old waste Fresh waste Old waste pH 6.5 7.2 6.1 6.5 6.8 5.9 PH 5.7 8.2 5.1 7.9 TDS (ppm) 755.6 2150 376.0 615.6 1210 350 EC (µs) 34,900 34,100 26,700 26,000 Cl (mg/L) 142.2 396.9 39.1 123.7 326.6 63.9 TDS (ppm) 17,400 17,100 13,400 13,100 COD (mg/L) 55.2 155.5 3.6 32.0 86.3 4.4 NO3 (mg/L) 200 50 160 40 NH3 (mg/L) 0.11 0.31 0.04 0.08 0.11 0.05 Cl (mg/L) 200 150 6,248 200 HCO3 (mg/L) 175.9 237.0 128.8 200.8 233.9 123.9 COD (mg/L) 55,750 9,079 42,522 5,500 Ca (mg/L) 229.5 410.0 128 103.7 234 40.6 PO4 (mg/L) 234 61 240 78 Mg (mg/L) 36.1 49.7 24.1 23.8 33.5 15.7 SO4 (mg/L) 1,800 200 1100 500 Na (mg/L) 142.3 621.0 36.4 67.8 178.5 22.9 NH3 (mg/L) 640 790 680 820 K (mg/L) 3.6 7.3 1.1 2.1 3.8 0.6 Hg (µg/L) 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.01 Hg (µg/L) - - - - - - Cr (µg/L) 0.3 1.4 0.1 1.1 Cr (µg/L) 10.1 11.1 9.9 13.5 13.7 13.3 Cu (ppm) 0.2 0.17 0.04 0.03 Cu (µg/L) 4.1 4.2 4 4.4 4.8 4.1 Fe (ppm) 16 5.1 9.5 3 Fe (mg/L) - - - - - - Ni (ppm) 0.6 1.4 0.5 1.1 Ni (µg/L) 1.5 2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1 Pb (ppm) 0.01 0.06 0.02 0.07 Pb (µg/L) - - - - - - Zn (ppm) 3 0.42 0.25 0.03 Zn (µg/L) - - - - - - Mn (ppm) 24 0.3 9.3 0.1 Coliforms - - - - - - Coliforms 460 1100 460 1100 Table 4. Results of the evaluated indexes through sampling points (dry and wet seasons)
parameters Average Max Min Standard deviation Coefficient of changes Leachate LPI Dry season 24.52 24.54 24.51 0.02 0 Groundwater LPI 5.32 5.5 5.15 0.11 0.02 SAR 2.15 7.73 0.66 1.81 0.84 SSP 26 52.69 12.53 10.99 0.42 KR 0.38 1.11 0.14 0.26 0.67 PI 35.23 55.56 25.58 8.32 0.24 Leachate LPI Wet season 27.36 27.93 26.79 0.81 0.03 Groundwater LPI 5.34 5.40 5.08 0.55 0.10 SAR 1.5 2.9 0.62 0.71 0.47 SSP 28.37 43.4 16.93 7.54 0.27 KR 0.4 0.86 0.14 0.16 0.39 PI 49.84 64.93 35.59 9.27 0.19 -
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