Volume 11, Issue 2 (12-2025)
KJES 2025, 11(2): 488-516 |
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Mousavi S S, Saberi Nasr A, Rahimzadeh F. Determination of the origin and zoning of nitrate contamination in the groundwater of Izeh Plain with a hydrochemical-statistical approach. KJES 2025; 11 (2) :488-516
URL: http://gnf.khu.ac.ir/article-1-2969-en.html
URL: http://gnf.khu.ac.ir/article-1-2969-en.html
1- Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz , s.mousavi@scu.ac.ir
2- Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz
2- Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz
Abstract: (280 Views)
Nitrate is one of the most important groundwater contaminants in the world, capable of causing environmental problems and posing risks to human health. This study investigated groundwater quality, nitrate concentration, and its sources in the Izeh Plain aquifer, as well as the impact of land use on this contamination. For this purpose, samples were collected and analyzed from 21 production wells during both the wet and dry seasons of the 2021-2022 hydrological year. The results indicated that the groundwater type is mainly bicarbonate-calcium and bicarbonate-magnesium, and approximately 23.81% of the samples exceeded the permissible nitrate concentration limits set by Iranian drinking water standards and the World Health Organization. Nitrate concentrations in the dry season ranged from 13.40 to 103 mg/L, with an average of 37.31 mg/L, while in the wet season they ranged from 9 to 125.7 mg/L, averaging 34.34 mg/L in the aquifer. Mapping of nitrate distribution confirmed that the areas with the highest contamination are located around the Ab Bandan wetland in the southeast, the southern margin of the Izeh Plain, and the southwest of this city. Integration of ionic ratio data (NO3⁻/Cl⁻, K⁺/Cl⁻, and Cl⁻/Na⁺) and factor analysis demonstrate that the primary sources of nitrate in this aquifer stem from excessive use of nitrate fertilizers, and lack of a sewage network and sanitation treatment plant in the region. This finding is further corroborated by the overlap between the land use map and the nitrate zoning map of the area.
Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
Hydrogeology
Received: 2025/09/11 | Accepted: 2025/11/24 | Published: 2025/12/31
Received: 2025/09/11 | Accepted: 2025/11/24 | Published: 2025/12/31
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