Hydrogeochemical characterization and groundwater quality assessment in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Fifty groundwater samples were collected from Al-Hasa to analyze the pH, electrical conductivity (EC, dS m−1), total dissolved solids (TDS), major anions (HCO3−, CO32−, Cl−, SO42−, and NO3−), major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+), and total hardness. The analyzed data plotted in the Piper, Gibbs, and Durov diagrams, and water quality index (WQI) were calculated to evaluate the groundwater geochemistry and its water quality. The results reveal that most of the investigated samples are Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42−, Cl− and Na+, and HCO3− water types using the Piper diagram. Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ are the dominant cations, while Cl− > HCO3− > SO42− > CO32− are the dominant anions. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) values varied from 0.79 to 10; however, the Kelly ratio (KR) ranged between 0.1 and 2.2. The permeability index (PI) showed that well water is suitable for irrigation purposes with 75% or more of maximum permeability. The US salinity diagram revealed that the water quality classes of studied waters were CIII-SI, CIII-SII, and CIV-SII, representing height hazards of salinity and medium- to low-sodium hazard. The water quality index (WQI) results indicated that total dissolved solids are out of the drinking water standard limits in Saudi Arabia. The WQI revealed that 38% of the studied wells were considered as poor water (class III), 52% are found as very poor water class (IV), and 10% are unsuitable water for drinking class (V).