Abstract
Over the past 3 decades, Iran’s groundwater reservoirs have faced a significant and interconnected challenge. Simultaneous declines in volume and purity, exacerbated by escalating pollutants due to heavy reliance, underscore the imperative for a comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality and vulnerability, utilizing indicators and models. This research introduces an innovative integrated framework, merging vulnerability assessment with pollutant flow path analysis, for a comprehensive evaluation of groundwater pollution in the Zanjanrud River Basin. Robust vulnerability assessment methods, DRASTIC and HPI, were used to evaluate intrinsic and specific vulnerability. The MODFLOW model underwent meticulous three-year calibration to quantify aquifer dynamics, while the MODPATH numerical model simulated pollutant transport. The DRASTIC Index identifies approximately 45.4% of the study area as having low vulnerability, while the HPI reports a mean value of 30.3, indicating medium vulnerability. These collective results classify the aquifer as medium–low risk. Key DRASTIC parameters, such as hydraulic conductivity, aquifer environment, and soil characteristics, significantly influence vulnerability assessment. Furthermore, HPI trends consistently decrease in vulnerability downstream, underscoring the impact of natural processes and self-remediation mechanisms in mitigating heavy metal concentrations. Numerical modeling reveals pollutants can travel up to one kilometer within three years in the alluvial region, with central wells displaying longer barrier lengths compared to peripheral ones. This study provides crucial insights into groundwater vulnerability, pollutant flow, and management strategies, offering valuable guidance for enhancing groundwater quality in similar regions.
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The data produced and/or analyzed during the present investigation can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable inquiry.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Farid Abbasi and Mahab Baresh consulting company for providing us with the necessary data for this research. We acknowledge their contribution to this work and appreciate their willingness to collaborate.
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Conceptualization: MA and NN; Methodology: PJ and Mohsen Yavari Nia; Formal analysis and investigation: FS and MYN; Writing—original draft preparation: AP and and HA; Writing—review and editing: MP; Resources: SA, Supervision: MJA.
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Nejatian, N., abbaspour, M., Javidan, P. et al. Evaluation of the vulnerability and pathways of groundwater pollution in the Zanjanrud river basin by an integrated modeling approach. Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 10, 2295–2308 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-023-01897-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-023-01897-x