Abstract
The water quality of major springs in the Yar-mouk Basin (north Jordan) experienced degra-dation due to rapid urbanization and industri-alization. In order to check their suitability for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes, a research work was conducted to assess the degree of ionic toxicity in these water sources. Thirty-six water samples were analyzed for dif-ferent elements of dominant cations and anions such as Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, and HCO3 together with other minor ions P, B, NO3, SO4, and Cl. To classify water quality, parameters such as so-dium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP) and residual sodium carbon-ate (RSC) were calculated. Concentrations of major cations and anions are low compared to their permissible levels in potable water. The total dissolved solids is 617 mg/l or below, which indicates the presence of fresh water. The fresh water condition is also verified by low to mod-erate electrical conductivity (347-1234 ?S/cm) and lower than 8.09 pH values. The concentra-tion of total iron (0.0-0.09 mg/l) falls below the maximum permissible limit of 1 mg/l. The low SAR (0.5 to 1.34) coupled with low electrical conductivity, gives the water medium salinity hazard and low sodium hazard. Thus, the water is general of suitable chemical quality for do-mestic, agricultural and most industrial uses.
Highlights
INTRODUCTIONThe available renewable water resources are dropping drastically due to steep population growth, rapid agricultural/industrial developments and the sudden influx of refugees due to political instability in the region
Jordan is considered among the poorest countries in the world in terms of water resources
Jordan is characterized by a pronounced scarcity of renewable fresh water resources, which averages at about 680 million cubic meters per year, or approximately 135 m3 per capita for all uses
Summary
The available renewable water resources are dropping drastically due to steep population growth, rapid agricultural/industrial developments and the sudden influx of refugees due to political instability in the region. Several previous studies relating to water sector in Jordan have generally concluded that there is a need to focus attention on the future impact of water shortages through resources planning and development [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Jordan is characterized by a pronounced scarcity of renewable fresh water resources, which averages at about 680 million cubic meters per year, or approximately 135 m3 per capita for all uses. Other sources of water include surface water flows from precipitation, treated waste water and other non-conventional water resources such as brackish water. The purpose is to classify water springs on the basis of some standard criteria in terms of their suitability and acceptability for irrigation, drinking and industrial uses
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