Abstract
The municipality of Santa Ignacia in the Province of Tarlac is highly dependent on groundwater as its major water supply for various purposes, but there is inconsistency in monitoring groundwater quality in the area which may impact the health of consumers. This study presented the preliminary assessment of groundwater quality through the application of spatial mapping. Out of 6,815 wells in the municipality, groundwater samples were collected from 274 hand pump wells. The measurements of selected groundwater quality parameters such as pH, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, and iron of groundwater samples were determined on-site. The geographical coordinates of sampled wells and measurements of groundwater quality parameters were used in Geographic Information System software, QGIS, to construct the spatial distribution and spatial variation maps. The values of measured parameters were interpolated using the inverse distance weighted technique to predict the parameters at other sites in Santa Ignacia. Spatial variation maps revealed that the groundwater quality parameters varied in the municipality. All measured parameters, except the nitrite content, were within the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization for drinking water. The high level of nitrite content in groundwater may be attributed to the application of fertilizers during agricultural activities. The nitrite content of groundwater, which exceeded the permissible limit, may cause long-term public health problems. Hence, an upscale evaluation and monitoring of groundwater quality and existing anthropological activities in the municipality are highly recommended. The identification of other possible source(s) of nitrite is necessary to lessen possible contamination risk and to protect the groundwater sources in the municipality. The results of this preliminary study would be useful in prospect studies of groundwater quality in the study area and in other provinces in the Philippines.
Highlights
Groundwater refers to water found beneath the ground surface in cracks and spaces in soils, sands, and rocks
The characterization of groundwater in Santa Ignacia based on pH, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, and iron is summarized in Table 1 and Fig. 3
The spatial variation maps clearly showed that the quality of groundwater across sites of Santa Ignacia varied
Summary
Groundwater refers to water found beneath the ground surface in cracks and spaces in soils, sands, and rocks. It comprises about 20% of freshwater resources worldwide and used for domestic and irrigation purposes in urban and rural populations. In the Philippines, groundwater is the preferred water source in rural water supply systems, wells. Degradation of water quality is one of the problems of the twenty-first century. Water quality is determined by its physical properties, chemical composition, and biological parameters. The levels of parameters indicate whether the water is safe for consumption. The water is needed to be treated to acceptable standards by reducing them to levels determined by regulatory authorities. When raw water quality is fully understood, the most
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