Groundwater quality, age, and susceptibility and vulnerability to nitrate contamination with linkages to land use and groundwater flow, Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin, Colorado, 2013

This research presents a methodology for assessing nitrate contamination susceptibility in groundwater using thematic maps, derived mainly from the land use map and from statistical data available at national/regional institutes of statistics (especially demographic and environmental data). The methodology was applied in a large area of southern Italy encompassing 4 alluvial and volcanic groundwater bodies, with high concentrations of NO3. The Potential Nitrate Contamination is believed to derive from three sources: agricultural, urban, and periurban. The first one is related to the use of fertilizers. For this reason the land use map was reclassified on the basis of the crop requirements in terms of fertilizers to obtain the Agricultural Potential Nitrate Contamination (APNC) map. The urban source considers leakages from the sewage network and, consequently, it depends on the anthropogenic pressure, expressed by the population density, particularly concentrated in the urbanized areas (Urban Potential Nitrate Contamination (UPNC) map). The periurban sources include unsewered areas, especially present in the periurban context, where illegal sewage connections coexist with on-site sewage disposal (cesspools, septic tanks, and pit latrines) (Periurban Potential Nitrate Contamination (PuPNC) map). The Potential Nitrate Contamination (PNC) map is produced by overlaying the APNC, UPNC, and PuPNC maps. The map combination process is straightforward, being an algebraic combination: the output values are the arithmetic average of the input values. The final pollution susceptibility (RISK) map is obtained by combining the PNC map with the groundwater contamination vulnerability (GwVu) map. The methodology, successfully applied in the study area with a relatively good correlation between the nitrate contamination susceptibility map and the nitrate distribution in groundwater, appears to be effective and have a significant potential for being applied worldwide.

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Biogeochemical Regimes in Shallow Aquifers Reflect the Metabolic Coupling of the Elements Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Carbon

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02346-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 85 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Carl-Eric Wegner ◽

Michael Gaspar ◽

Patricia Geesink ◽

Martina Herrmann ◽

Manja Marz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Groundwater Flow ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Sulfur Metabolism ◽

Ammonium Oxidation ◽

Metabolic Potential ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Near Surface ◽

Monitoring Wells

ABSTRACTNear-surface groundwaters are prone to receive (in)organic matter input from their recharge areas and are known to harbor autotrophic microbial communities linked to nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. Here, we use multi-omic profiling to gain holistic insights into the turnover of inorganic nitrogen compounds, carbon fixation processes, and organic matter processing in groundwater. We sampled microbial biomass from two superimposed aquifers via monitoring wells that follow groundwater flow from its recharge area through differences in hydrogeochemical settings and land use. Functional profiling revealed that groundwater microbiomes are mainly driven by nitrogen (nitrification, denitrification, and ammonium oxidation [anammox]) and to a lesser extent sulfur cycling (sulfur oxidation and sulfate reduction), depending on local hydrochemical differences. Surprisingly, the differentiation potential of the groundwater microbiome surpasses that of hydrochemistry for individual monitoring wells. Being dominated by a few phyla (Bacteroidetes,Proteobacteria,Planctomycetes, andThaumarchaeota), the taxonomic profiling of groundwater metagenomes and metatranscriptomes revealed pronounced differences between merely present microbiome members and those actively participating in community gene expression and biogeochemical cycling. Unexpectedly, we observed a constitutive expression of carbohydrate-active enzymes encoded by different microbiome members, along with the groundwater flow path. The turnover of organic carbon apparently complements for lithoautotrophic carbon assimilation pathways mainly used by the groundwater microbiome depending on the availability of oxygen and inorganic electron donors, like ammonium.IMPORTANCEGroundwater is a key resource for drinking water production and irrigation. The interplay between geological setting, hydrochemistry, carbon storage, and groundwater microbiome ecosystem functioning is crucial for our understanding of these important ecosystem services. We targeted the encoded and expressed metabolic potential of groundwater microbiomes along an aquifer transect that diversifies in terms of hydrochemistry and land use. Our results showed that the groundwater microbiome has a higher spatial differentiation potential than does hydrochemistry.

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Effects of long-term mixed land use of human settlement and oil palm plantation on the groundwater quality of ex-promontory land

IOSR Journal of Environmental Science Toxicology and Food Technology ◽

10.9790/2402-08730109 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 01-09

Author(s):

SitiZulaikha Othman ◽

◽

Roslan Hashim ◽

Mohamad FaizalTajulBaharuddin ◽

Sharifah Mohamad

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Human Settlement ◽

Oil Palm Plantation ◽

Mixed Land Use

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Groundwater quality in rural watersheds with environmental land use conflicts

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.068 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 493 ◽

pp. 812-827 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

R.F. Valle ◽

S.G.P. Varandas ◽

L.F. Sanches Fernandes ◽

F.A.L. Pacheco

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Land Use Conflicts

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Assessment of groundwater quality with special emphasis on nitrate contamination in parts of Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh, India

Applied Water Science ◽

10.1007/s13201-018-0759-x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Arif Ahamad ◽

Sughosh Madhav ◽

Pardeep Singh ◽

Jitendra Pandey ◽

A. H. Khan

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Nitrate Contamination

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Effects of Baekje Weir Operation on the Stream–Aquifer Interaction in the Geum River Basin, South Korea

Water ◽

10.3390/w12112984 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 2984

Author(s):

Hyeonju Lee ◽

Min-Ho Koo ◽

Byong Wook Cho ◽

Yong Hwa Oh ◽

Yongje Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Groundwater Flow ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Flow System ◽

Natural Ecosystem ◽

Visual Modflow ◽

Ecosystem Recovery ◽

Groundwater Use ◽

Groundwater Flow System ◽

The Impact

Hydraulic structures have a significant impact on riverine environment, leading to changes in stream–aquifer interactions. In South Korea, 16 weirs were constructed in four major rivers, in 2012, to secure sufficient water resources, and some weirs operated periodically for natural ecosystem recovery from 2017. The changed groundwater flow system due to weir operation affected the groundwater level and quality, which also affected groundwater use. In this study, we analyzed the changes in the groundwater flow system near the Geum River during the Baekje weir operation using Visual MODFLOW Classic. Groundwater data from 34 observational wells were evaluated to analyze the impact of weir operation on stream–aquifer interactions. Accordingly, the groundwater discharge rates increased from 0.23 to 0.45 cm/day following the decrease in river levels owing to weir opening, while the hydrological condition changed from gaining to losing streams following weir closure. The variation in groundwater flow affected the groundwater quality during weir operation, changing the groundwater temperature and electrical conductivity (EC). Our results suggest that stream–aquifer interactions are significantly affected by weir operation, consequently, these repeated phenomena could influence the groundwater quality and groundwater use.

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Effect of Land Use Changes on Water Quality in an Ephemeral Coastal Plain: Khambhat City, Gujarat, India

Water ◽

10.3390/w11040724 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 724 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Pankaj Kumar ◽

Rajarshi Dasgupta ◽

Brian Johnson ◽

Chitresh Saraswat ◽

Mrittika Basu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Barren Land ◽

Bare Land ◽

The Impact ◽

Use Categories

Rapid changes in land use and land cover pattern have exerted an irreversible change on different natural resources, and water resources in particular, throughout the world. Khambhat City, located in the Western coastal plain of India, is witnessing a rapid expansion of human settlements, as well as agricultural and industrial activities. This development has led to a massive increase in groundwater use (the only source of potable water in the area), brought about significant changes to land management practices (e.g., increased fertilizer use), and resulted in much greater amounts of household and industrial waste. To better understand the impacts of this development on the local groundwater, this study investigated the relationship between groundwater quality change and land use change over the 2001–2011 period; a time during which rapid development occurred. Water quality measurements from 66 groundwater sampling wells were analyzed for the years 2001 and 2011, and two water quality indicators (NO3− and Cl− concentration) were mapped and correlated against the changes in land use. Our results indicated that the groundwater quality has deteriorated, with both nitrate (NO3−) and chloride (Cl−) levels being elevated significantly. Contour maps of NO3− and Cl− were compared with the land use maps for 2001 and 2011, respectively, to identify the impact of land use changes on water quality. Zonal statistics suggested that conversion from barren land to agricultural land had the most significant negative impact on water quality, demonstrating a positive correlation with accelerated levels of both NO3− and Cl−. The amount of influence of the different land use categories on NO3− increase was, in order, agriculture > bare land > lake > marshland > built-up > river. Whereas, for higher concentration of Cl− in the groundwater, the order of influence of the different land use categories was marshland > built-up > agriculture > bare land > lake > river. This study will help policy planners and decision makers to understand the trend of groundwater development and hence to take timely mitigation measures for its sustainable management.

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