Assessing coastal groundwater quality and its suitability for agricultural and drinking use

Agricultural activities with their intensive utilization of agri chemicals, pose a significant potential for negative impact on the quality of underlying groundwater. The present study was conducted to assess seasonal variation of groundwater quality and its suitability for agricultural use in the coastal area of Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. The suitability of ground water for drinking was also assessed based on Schoeller’s diagram. In three times of a water year (i.e. in spring, summer and winter), different characteristics of groundwater quality were determined in about 30 observation wells representing shallow aquifers and covering all the study area. The groundwater salinity was high in most cases while its alkalinity was fairly stable in different times.

Keywords:

Agricultural sector- Wilcox method , Groundwater quality , Schoeller’s diagram.