Geochemical and quality assessment of groundwater of Marand Basin, East Azarbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran

Abstract

The chemical analysis of 83 water wells in the Marand area, Azarbaijan Province NW of Iran was evaluated to determine the hydrogeochemical processes and ion concentration background in the region. Over the entire area, the dominated hydrochemical types are Ca + Mg + SO 4 + Cl, Ca + SO 4, Na + Cl and Ca + Mg + HCO 3. Based on the total hardness, the softness of the groundwater is determined. According to electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), the most dominant classes are C3-S1, C3-S2, C4-S2 and C2-S1. The major ion concentrations are below the acceptable level for drinking water. The groundwater salinity hazard is medium to high, but the Na hazard is low to medium; with regard to irrigation water, the quality is low to medium. So, a drainage system is necessary to avoid the increase of toxic salt concentrations. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.