Abstract
Due to the continuous expansion in agriculture production and industry for many years, groundwater usage has been increasing, with a decrease in groundwater levels in many cases. In addition, in some areas, groundwater quality has degraded due to agrochemical contamination from agricultural areas. The aims of this research pertains to aquifers as follows: (1) to evaluate hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and (2) to integrate the stable isotopes 18O and 2H with hydrochemical data to evaluate the origin of the groundwater and indirectly identify the pollution sources of groundwater contaminated with nitrate (NO3). Water samples were collected from 60 groundwater wells with different hydrogeological characteristics and land use types in both the rainy season (in October) and the summer seasons (in February) in the Cha Am district of Phetchaburi Province. The groundwater was separated into 3 types: Ca-Na-Cl, Ca-Na-HCO3-Cl, and Na-Cl. Two groundwater wells (no. 19 and 41), which were located southeast and southwest of the study area, had relatively high NO3− concentrations (47 mg/L NO3 and 50 mg/L NO3, respectively) that were higher than the groundwater quality standards. These two wells corresponded to the second group that was exposed by HCA. The PCA results revealed the influence of seawater intrusion. Furthermore, multivariate statistical analysis (PC 2) revealed that the NO3− that is mainly released from potassium nitrate (KNO3), for example, during pineapple cultivation, directly contaminated the groundwater system.
Highlights
Due to an increase in population and agricultural products and the expansion of industries, surface water is typically employed for consumption, agriculture, and industrial development, but there is not enough [1,2]
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)
The study area is located at The Huai Sai royal development in Sam Phraya sub district, Cha Am district, and Phetchaburi Province, which is located between latitude 12◦ 370 N to 14◦ 450 N and longitude
Summary
Due to an increase in population and agricultural products and the expansion of industries, surface water is typically employed for consumption, agriculture, and industrial development, but there is not enough [1,2]. Groundwater resources are increasingly utilized, which causes a decline in. The contamination from agricultural activities and industrial areas is the main cause of the degradation in groundwater quality for consumption [3]. The 10th national economic and social development plan (2007–2011) reported that the maximum amount of imported fertilizer and agrochemicals in 2011 was approximately 164 thousand metric tons [4]. The cumulating amount of fertilizer and agrochemicals in the soils of agriculture areas has created environmental problems, e.g., contaminants the water resources and public health risks [5,6]. The consumption of high amounts of NO3 − affects babies younger than four months, who develop methemoglobinemia or blue-baby syndrome [11], which poses a high risk for adults to develop gastrointestinal cancer or bladder cancer [12]
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