Abstract
Groundwater in confined aquifers is the preferred water resource worldwide, and its hydrochemical quality is the premise for sustainable development. A systematic hydrogeochemical research was conducted to get insight into the hydrochemical characteristics, genesis, and potential health threats of confined groundwater, based on analytical data of 45 groundwater samples collected from the urban area of Hengshui, Central North China Plain (NCP). The results showed most groundwater had desirable hydrochemical quality with a nearly neutral to slightly alkaline nature and dominantly soft-fresh Cl-Na face. Solute chemistry was governed by rock-water interaction including minerals dissolution and ion exchange, but out of the anthropogenic influences. All nitrogen pollutants and Zn were within the desirable limit, while F−, Mn, and Fe were beyond the desirable limit recommended by WHO in 28.9%, 15.6%, and 68.9% of samples. Overall chronic health risk from these toxic elements was identified in terms of various populations and mainly contributed by F−. Infants were more prone to the health risks of aqueous pollutants. Differential water supplies based on hydrochemical quality are recommended, and water improvement measures are suggested to be conducted aiming at the harmful fluoride in confined groundwater. The present research could provide valuable references for the health sustainability of confined groundwater utilization in sedimentary plains like NCP worldwide.
Highlights
Yong Xiao,1 Kui Liu,1 Qichen Hao,2 Jianfeng Li,2 Yunhui Zhang,1 Weizhe Cui,2 Limao qin,1 and Qiuming Pei 1
Differential water supplies based on hydrochemical quality are recommended, and water improvement measures are suggested to be conducted aiming at the harmful fluoride in confined groundwater. e present research could provide valuable references for the health sustainability of confined groundwater utilization in sedimentary plains like North China Plain (NCP) worldwide
Physicochemical Characteristics of Groundwater. e physicochemical parameters of confined groundwater in the study area were statistically demonstrated in the box plots of Figure 3. e desirable limit of various indices recommended by the WHO [65] and the Chinese guideline [66] was presented
Summary
Yong Xiao ,1 Kui Liu ,1 Qichen Hao ,2 Jianfeng Li ,2 Yunhui Zhang ,1 Weizhe Cui ,2 Limao qin, and Qiuming Pei 1. Groundwater in confined aquifers is the preferred water resource worldwide, and its hydrochemical quality is the premise for sustainable development. A full understanding of the hydrochemical features, mechanisms, and quality is the premise of effective management and sustainable development of groundwater resources in any region across the world [13, 14]. Ese factors are fundamental for the natural formation and evolution of groundwater chemical components [22,23,24,25], while anthropogenic factors from all aspects of human society including domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities can dramatically modify the composition of groundwater chemistry through direct pollutants input or indirect change of the hydrogeochemical conditions of natural mechanisms [26,27,28,29,30,31]. Evaporation usually has great effects on the salinity of phreatic groundwater, which would not occur in the confined aquifers [23, 32,33,34]. us, phreatic groundwater is found with poorer hydrochemical quality than confined groundwater [16, 35,36,37,38,39]
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