Groundwater Quality and Contamination at Regional Scales

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 1296

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Interests: groundwater quality; groundwater contamination; groundwater chemistry
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Guest Editor
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
Interests: hydrogeology; groundwater; geostatistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Groundwater is the most abundant freshwater resource available on earth. It supplies drinking water for more than 2 billion people. It also provides more than 40% of water resources needed for irrigated agriculture. Land use change accompanied with various human activities is expected to have substantial impacts on groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales throughout the twenty-first century, especially in urbanized areas. For example, the wholesale transformation of agricultural and natural ecosystems to more intensive uses of urbanization and industrialization has a strong negative impact on groundwater quality worldwide. As a consequence, in order to enhance the utility of groundwater resources under the condition of land use change, knowledge on the status of groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales is required.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue. This Special Issue focuses on groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales and is within the scope of Water.

This Special Issue aims to advance the knowledge on the status of groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales under the condition of land use change worldwide. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Assessing groundwater quality at regional scales under land use change.
  • Evaluating natural background levels of chemical components in groundwater at regional scales.
  • Assessing groundwater contamination at regional scales by using geostatistical techniques.
  • Revealing factors controlling groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Guanxing Huang
Dr. Liangping Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • groundwater quality
  • groundwater contamination
  • human activities
  • land use
  • assessment of groundwater quality
  • natural background levels
  • evaluation of groundwater contamination
  • geostatistical techniques

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 7554 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Vulnerability in the Nakivale Sub-Catchment of the Transboundary Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda
by Emmanuel Nabala Hyeroba and Robert M. Kalin
Water 2024, 16(23), 3386; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233386 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 332
Abstract
This study evaluates the quality and vulnerability of groundwater within the Nakivale Sub-catchment of the transboundary Lake Victoria Basin in Southwestern Uganda. Groundwater quality assessment focuses on its suitability for both drinking and agricultural uses. Hydrochemical analysis of 19 groundwater samples revealed that [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the quality and vulnerability of groundwater within the Nakivale Sub-catchment of the transboundary Lake Victoria Basin in Southwestern Uganda. Groundwater quality assessment focuses on its suitability for both drinking and agricultural uses. Hydrochemical analysis of 19 groundwater samples revealed that 90% comply with World Health Organization drinking water standards, although localized contamination was noted, particularly in terms of total iron, nitrate, potassium, magnesium, and sulfates. The drinking groundwater quality index shows that over 90% of the samples fall within the good-to-excellent quality categories. Elevated nitrate levels and chloride–bromide ratios indicate human impacts, likely due to agricultural runoff and wastewater disposal. For irrigation, Sodium Adsorption Ratio analysis revealed medium-to-high salinity hazards in the region, while Sodium Percentage and other parameters indicated low-to-moderate risks of soil degradation. DRASTIC vulnerability assessments identified low contamination risks due to impermeable geological layers, steep terrain, slow groundwater recharge, deep aquifer depth, and clayey soil cover. These findings emphasize the need for conjunctive water resource management, including improved groundwater quality monitoring, public education on sustainable practices, and protective measures for recharge zones and areas highly susceptible to contamination. By addressing these issues, this study aims to preserve groundwater resources for domestic and agricultural use, ensuring long-term sustainability in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Quality and Contamination at Regional Scales)
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18 pages, 22321 KiB  
Article
Shallow Groundwater Quality Assessment and Pollution Source Apportionment: Case Study in Wujiang District, Suzhou City
by Lili Hou, Qiuju Qi, Quanping Zhou, Jinsong Lv, Leli Zong, Zi Chen, Yuehua Jiang, Hai Yang, Zhengyang Jia, Shijia Mei, Yang Jin, Hong Zhang, Jie Li and Fangfei Xu
Water 2024, 16(21), 3139; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16213139 - 2 Nov 2024
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Groundwater serves as a crucial resource, with its quality significantly impacted by both natural and human-induced factors. In the highly industrialized and urbanized Yangtze River Delta region, the sources of pollutants in shallow groundwater are more complex, making the identification of groundwater pollution [...] Read more.
Groundwater serves as a crucial resource, with its quality significantly impacted by both natural and human-induced factors. In the highly industrialized and urbanized Yangtze River Delta region, the sources of pollutants in shallow groundwater are more complex, making the identification of groundwater pollution sources a challenging task. In this study, 117 wells in Wujiang District of Suzhou City were sampled, and 16 groundwater quality parameters were analyzed. The fuzzy synthetic evaluation method was used to assess the current status of groundwater pollution in the study area; the principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to discern the anthropogenic and natural variables that influence the quality of shallow groundwater; and the absolute principal component scores–multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model was applied to quantify the contributions of various origins toward the selected groundwater quality parameters. The results indicate that the main exceeding indicators of groundwater in Wujiang District are I (28%), NH4-N (18%), and Mn (14%); overall, the groundwater quality is relatively good in the region, with localized heavy pollution: class IV and class V water are mainly concentrated in the southwest of Lili Town, the north of Songling Town, and the south of Qidu Town. Through PCA, five factors contributing to the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in Wujiang District were identified: water–rock interaction, surface water–groundwater interaction, sewage discharge from the textile industry, urban domestic sewage discharge, and agricultural non-point source pollution. Additionally, the APCS-MLR model determined that the contributions of the three main pollution sources to groundwater contamination are in the following order: sewage discharge from the textile industry (10.63%) > urban domestic sewage discharge (8.69%) > agricultural non-point source pollution (6.26%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Quality and Contamination at Regional Scales)
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