Dissolved Nitrogen Survey in Groundwater Resources in Al-Ula village, Madina El Monawara, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Nitrogen contents contamination of groundwater is the subject of interest because of their hazard potential to human health. A water quality study was carried out on groundwater wells, which serves as drinking water sources in rural communities, in Al-Ula village of Madina El Monawara region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3 -) and nitrite (NO2 -) contents of water samples collected from 10 wells and 3 water sources were estimated using spectrophotometric techniques. Water samples were collected monthly from April 2012 to March 2013 and analyzed for different forms of nitrogen in water samples. Results showed that the mean concentration of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite ranged from 0.042 to 0.0 mg/l, 2.6 to 0.6 mg/l, and 0.23 to 0.003 mg/l, respectively. The concentrations of nitrogen contents in the water samples were within the permissible limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water quality guidelines and Saudi Arabia Standards Organization (SASO). Therefore, our conclusion showed that these water resources are safe for human use.