Investigating the quantity and quality of groundwater and its effect on the hydrogeochemistry of the Azarshahr plain aquifer and identifying the possible source of contamination

Iran's groundwater reservoirs have faced significant and related challenges in the past three decades. The simultaneous decrease in the volume and quality of these waters, which are increasingly contaminated with pollutants, renders them largely unusable for many uses. Therefore, there is an increasing emphasis on evaluating the quality of groundwater and identifying anthropogenic or geogenic factors that affect its quality more than ever before. In this study, the hydrogeochemical pollution caused by major, minor, and trace elements was identified by examining the water table against the electrical conductivity of water resources in Azarshahr plain. Long-term data on water levels and electrical conductivity were obtained from regional water resources in East Azerbaijan province. After initial examination, 33 samples were collected from wells and qanats in the area and transferred to the water laboratory of Tabriz University for analysis. The measured parameters included pH, electrical conductivity, major, minor, and trace elements.The results of chemical analysis showed that the concentrations exceeding the permissible drinking limit for nitrates and elements such as Arsenic, Lead, Nickel, and Chromium. Piper diagrams and Stiff diagrams were used to determine the water type in the area; it was found that the water type is mainly sulfate and bicarbonate-based. The origin of the available water is related to the geological formations in the area as a result of mixing and ion exchange.Furthermore, multivariate statistical analysis using factor analysis revealed four influential factor groups affecting water quality in the area; only the fourth factor was attributed to anthropogenic. In general, most of the trace elements in water sources are influenced by formations and aquifer-rock interactions.The overall trend of groundwater quantity over a 25-year period is relatively stable with a slight downward slope; however, the general trend of electrical conductivity is ascending with a much steeper slope indicating an increase in anthropogenic activities as well as the presence of saline layers, which leads to a decrease in the quality of groundwater. Most of the contaminated samples in terms of major and trace elements are located around Gowgan city at the end of the plain. The pollution at this end is related to dissolution trends along with movement paths of groundwater flow and density of pumping wells in this area.