Hydrochemistry and quality assessment of groundwater in Basht Plain, Kohgiluyeh-va-Boyer Ahmad Province, SW Iran

The hydrochemistry of groundwater from Basht Plain in Kohgiluyeh-va-Boyer Ahmad Province, SW Iran, was studied with an objective of assessing the suitability of groundwater quality for drinking, irrigation, industrial, and livestock purposes. The groundwater samples were selected from 28 wells distributed over the plain, during the November 2015. The physicochemical parameters of groundwater samples were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. The analyzed data reveal that groundwater is dominated by HCO3−, SO42−, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions, resulting from widespread evaporitic and carbonate geological formations in the study area. Compared with the guidelines of WHO and Iranian standard for drinking water, the analyzed parameters indicate that groundwater is good for domestic uses. The Schoeller’s diagram and groundwater quality index also show that the quality of groundwater is acceptable for drinking purpose. The values of pH, EC, TDS, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3−, Cl−, and SO42− in groundwater are below the permitted limits of the FAO standard for irrigation water, while the concentration of Ca2+ in all the samples and that of NO3− in 7% of them exceed the recommended quantities. Moreover, the groundwater is found to be suitable for irrigation, according to the water quality indexes of %Na, SAR, RSC, PI, MAR, and KR. The calculated LSI and FC parameters revealed a corrosive property and foaming action potential, respectively, for almost all the water samples, if the water is used in industry. Compared with the standard limits for livestock uses, the TDS content of groundwater samples indicates that they have no restrictions on drinking use by domestic animals.