Abstract
Hydrogeochemical analyses were conducted on groundwater sampled from the Saloum aquifer, in southern Senegal. The objective was to identify the chemical processes that control hydrochemistry and to assess the quality of groundwater for determining its suitability for drinking and agricultural purposes. Water samples were collected from 79 wells during the dry season in May 2012, and were subjected to analysis for chemical characteristics (major ions), pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solid (TDS). The dominant hydrochemical facies observed for the groundwater samples are NaCl and CaHCO3. Gibbs plot depicts predominance of rock water interaction and evaporation processes controlling the water chemistry. Percentage of Na+, Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Total Hardness (TH) and Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) values were calculated. The results were compared with the standard guideline values recommended by the World Health Organization and agricultural water standards. The TDS in groundwater is less than 1200 mg/L and SAR values are less than 10. RSC values overall are less than 1.25 meq/L. Results show that the groundwater in the area has generally a low hardness and is fresh (95%) to brackish. The majority of groundwater samples are appropriate for domestic uses. The indexes for water irrigation compared with standard limits revealed that most of the Saloum groundwater samples fall in the suitable range for irrigation.
Highlights
Assessment of groundwater chemical characteristics is crucial to better predict its uses.The processes occurring within the groundwater and reactions with aquifer minerals have a profound effect on water quality [1]
A large majority (95%) of all groundwater samples can be classified as fresh
This abnormal salinity water might be indicative of the presence of salt-water pockets of ancient valleys existing in this of sector
Summary
Assessment of groundwater chemical characteristics is crucial to better predict its uses.The processes occurring within the groundwater and reactions with aquifer minerals have a profound effect on water quality [1]. Assessment of groundwater chemical characteristics is crucial to better predict its uses. Knowledge of the geochemical evolution of groundwater in arid and semi-arid regions could lead to sustainable development and effective management of these water resources [2,3,4]. Water quality analysis is important for groundwater studies and utilization. The present work was carried out to analyze the groundwater quality in the Saloum region in southern Senegal and to examine its potential uses. Diversity of groundwater quality in the study area is a function of physical and chemical parameters that are greatly influenced by geological formations and anthropogenic activities. As surface water resources are lacking, groundwater resources in the area are crucial because
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