Groundwater quality analysis in Amol-Babol plain and zoning of sodium using GIS

Nowadays, paying attention to the quality of groundwater and its trend is very important for various purposes such as drinking, agriculture, and public health. Groundwater pollution is often formed due to toxic industrial wastewaters and disposing wells of urban wastewaters. In this study, the qualitative data of Amol-Babol plain within1986-2009 was used in order to evaluate qualitative changes of groundwater resources. In the study area, the main groundwater consumption was found to be agricultural irrigation. Several parameters of electrical conductivity, Cl-, Na+, HCO3-, and pH were investigated to assess groundwater quality and Na+ was detected as the most important one. Then, Na+ was zonned in the area using geographic information system (GIS). The results showed that most of the polluted areas are close to urban and industrial landuses. Also, the highest contamination of groundwater was found in dry years due to low flow conditions of the main river in the area.