Environmental impacts of geothermal fields on water resources in the Central Anatolia region, Turkey

Abstract

Hot and mineral waters in thermal areas may interact with other water resources in the region. When such a situation occurs, it is possible for hot water to negatively affect the chemical structure and quality of cold-water resources. This limits the use of drinking and/or irrigation water in water resources. In the scope of this study, geothermal fields in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey were examined in detail and the quality and usability characteristics of the water resources in these fields were examined. Thus, the environmental effects of geothermal in terms of water resources were tried to be revealed. The geological, hydrogeological and hydro geochemical properties of 18 different geothermal fields located in 5 different regions were examined and their similarities and differences with each other were revealed. In addition, the quality and usability characteristics of hot and cold-water resources in each field were examined and the possible negative effects of these geothermal fields on water resources were investigated. According to the results obtained, thermal energy causes pollution of both freshwater resources and soil, especially due to their high ion content. In addition, considering the major ion and heavy metal contents of thermal waters, it is seen that health problems may occur if the water is used as drinking water for a long time.