Evaluation and Classification of the Groundwater Quality of Ardabil Plain

It is crucial to assess the groundwater quality in each region. This study focused on evaluating and analyzing the groundwater quality of the Ardabil plain. To achieve this, 32 water samples from various wells were collected and elements and quality parameters (such as electrical conductivity, acidity, sodium, magnesium, chlorine, bicarbonate and water hardness) were measured. Groundwater quality was investigated using Gibbs diagram and Cluster analysis. Gibbs ratio I and II ranged from 0.11 to 0.83 and 0.16 to 0.86, respectively, with an average of 0.36 and 0.57. Most of the water samples fall in the zone of rock dominance. Also, based on the cluster analysis, the quality of the first and second clusters (in Schuler's diagram) were placed in the good and poor range for drinking purposes, respectively. On the other hand, based on Wilcox's classification, the studied groundwater was divided into four classes, and the best quality was C2-S1 class (almost suitable for cultivation). In addition, it can be concluded that the quality of groundwater in the second cluster is not useful for agricultural and drinking purposes, but the first cluster was almost suitable for agricultural and drinking purposes.