Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of the hydrochemistry, water quality, and human health risk of groundwater in the northwest of Nansi Lake Catchment, north China

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Environmental Geochemistry and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, the formation mechanism and water quality of groundwater in the northwest of Nansi Lake Catchment (NNLC) were analyzed through mathematical statistics, hydrochemical analysis and entropy weighted water quality index (EWQI), and the human health risk of nitrate was also evaluated. To this end, 89 wells in the NNLC were sampled, and the groundwater samples were divided into three groups (I, II, and III) according to cluster analysis results and spatial distribution. The main results are as follows: Topographically, Groups I, II, and III correspond to the alluvial plains, apron plain, and low hills and its front margin, respectively. According to the Piper diagram, the hydrochemical types of Groups I and II groundwater are Na–SO4·Cl and Ca·Mg–HCO3, respectively, and that of Group III is more concentrated, mostly corresponding to the Ca–HCO3 type. Hydrochemical analysis indicated that the development of groundwater hydrochemistry is mainly attributable to water–rock interactions, with the primary process being the dissolution of minerals such as calcite, dolomite, gypsum, and albite. Evaporation exhibited an increasing trend from the northeast to the southwest. Groups I and III presented obvious effects of human activities, with Group I showing sulfate pollution and Group III mainly showing nitrate pollution. Analysis of the characteristics and causes of the groundwater hydrochemistry revealed the proposed approach has excellent performance for classification in areas with complex hydrogeological conditions. The results of EWQI showed that the overall water quality was good, following the order Group III > Group II > Group I. The overall human health risk of nitrate in groundwater was low, but the risk was slightly higher for children than for adults. Therefore, the effects of nitrate contamination should be considered when exploiting hilly and peri-urban groundwater for drinking water.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdul-Wahab, D., Adomako, D., Abass, G., Adotey, D. K., Anornu, G., & Ganyaglo, S. (2021). Hydrogeochemical and isotopic assessment for characterizing groundwater quality and recharge processes in the Lower Anayari catchment of the Upper East Region, Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00815-w

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adimalla, N., & Qian, H. (2020). Geospatial distribution and potential noncarcinogenic health risk assessment of nitrate contaminated groundwater in southern India: a case study. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00762-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adimalla, N., & Qian, H. (2021). Groundwater chemistry, distribution and potential health risk appraisal of nitrate enriched groundwater: A case study from the semi-urban region of South India. Ecotoxicology and Environmental, 207, 111277.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amiri, V., Kamrani, S., Ahmad, A., Bhattacharya, P., & Mansoori, J. (2020). Groundwater quality evaluation using Shannon information theory and human health risk assessment in Yazd province, central plateau of Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10362-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barzegari, M., Sepaskhah, A. R., & Ahmadi, S. H. (2017). Irrigation and nitrogen manage: Ments affect nitrogen leaching and root yield of sugar beet. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 108(2), 211–230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-017-9853-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drever, J. I. (1997). The geochemistry of natural waters Jersey. Journal of Environmental Quality, 27(1), 245–246. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1998.00472425002700010037x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Z., et al. (2019b). Hydrochemical characteristics and temporal variations of geothermal water quality in Tangtou, Shandong, China. Water, 11(8), 1643.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Z., et al. (2019c). Factors that influence the chemical composition and evolution of shallow groundwater in an arid region: A case study from the middle reaches of the Heihe River China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 78(14), 390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Z., Liu, J., Feng, J., Wang, M., & Wu, G. (2019a). Hydrogeochemical characteristics and the suitability of groundwater in the alluvial-diluvial plain of southwest Shandong Province China. Water, 11(8), 1577.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geng, X., Fukuda, S., Moritaka, M., Zhou, Y., & Li, Q. (2013). A Study on Interpersonal relationships, market orientation and performance of Chinese garlic farmers. Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University, 58(2), 439–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, Z., Han, D., Song, X., & Yang, S. (2020). Impact of human activities on coastal groundwater pollution in the Yang-Dai River plain, northern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 27(30), 37592–37613.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ion, I., Ion, A. C., Calin, M. R., Radulescu, I., & Bogdan, D. (2019). Assessment of chemical parameters and natural radionuclides concentrations in carbonated natural mineral water and contribution to radiation dose. Romanian Journal of Physics, 64(1–2), 804.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jandu, A., Malik, A., & Dhull, S. B. (2021). Fluoride and nitrate in groundwater of rural habitations of semiarid region of northern Rajasthan, India: A hydrogeochemical, multivariate statistical, and human health risk assessment perspective. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00882-6.

  • Ji, Y., Wu, J., Wang, Y., Elumalai, V., & Subramani, T. (2020). Seasonal variation of drinking water quality and human health risk assessment in Hancheng city of Guanzhong Plain China. Exposure and Health, 12(3), 469–485.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karunanidhi, D., et al. (2020). Groundwater quality evolution based on geochemical modeling and aptness testing for ingestion using entropy water quality and total hazard indexes in an urban-industrial area (Tiruppur) of Southern India. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10724-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. H., Yun, S. T., Yu, S., Choid, B. Y., Kim, M. J., & Leeb, K. J. (2020). Geochemical pattern recognitions of deep thermal groundwater in South Korea using self-organizing map: Identified pathways of geochemical reaction and mixing. Journal of Hydrology, 589, 125202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kou, Li., & Hua, Li. (2019). Hydrochemical characteristics, controlling factors, and solute sources of streamflow and groundwater in the Hei River Catchment China. Water, 11(11), 2293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, P., Li, X., Meng, X., Li, M., & Zhang, Y. (2016). Appraising groundwater quality and health risks from contamination in a Semiarid region of Northwest China. Expos Health, 8(3), 361–379.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, F., Zhao, Z., Yang, L., Ma, Y., Xu, Y., Gong, L., & Liu, H. (2020). Geochemical characterization of shallow groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis and geochemical modeling in an irrigated region along the upper Yellow River, Northwestern China. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 215, 106565.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Peng, Y., Li, C., Gao, Z., & Chen, S. (2020a). Characterization of the hydrochemistry of water resources of the Weibei Plain, Northern China, as well as an assessment of the risk of high groundwater nitrate levels to human health. Environmental Pollution, 268, 115947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Peng, Y., Li, C., Gao, Z., & Chen, S. (2021). A characterization of groundwater fluoride, influencing factors and risk to human health in the southwest plain of Shandong Province North China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 207, 111512.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., et al. (2020b). Impact of land use on shallow groundwater quality characteristics associated with human health risks in a typical agricultural area in Central China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10492-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y., Yang, L., & Jiang, W. (2020c). Coupling coordination and spatiotemporal dynamic evolution between social economy and water environmental quality - A case study from Nansi Lake catchment. China. Ecological Indicators, 119, 106870.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y., Yang, L., & Jiang, W. (2020d). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the relationship between water pollution and economic growth: A case study in Nansi Lake catchment China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(4), 4008–4020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madhav, S., Raju, N. J., & Ahamad, A. (2020). A study of hydrogeochemical processes using integrated geochemical and multivariate statistical methods and health risk assessment of groundwater in Trans-Varuna region Uttar Pradesh. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00928-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandal, R., Das, A., Sudheer, A. K., Kumar, S., Verma, S., Gaddam, M., & Deshpande, R. D. (2021). Sources, controls, and probabilistic health risk assessment of fluoride contamination in groundwater from a semi-arid region in Gujarat, Western India: An isotope-hydrogeochemical perspective. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00894-2.

  • Sener, S., Sener, E., & Varol, S. (2020). Hydro-chemical and microbiological pollution assessment of irrigation water in Kızılırmak Delta (Turkey). Environmental Pollution, 266(1), 115214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sohrabi, M., Mehrjerdi, M. Z., Karimi, S., & Tavallali, V. (2020). Using gypsum and selenium foliar application for mineral biofortification and improving the bioactive compounds of garlic ecotypes. Industrial Crops and Products, 154(7), 112742.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tardy, Y. (1971). Characterization of the principal weathering types by the geochemistry of waters from some European and African crystalline massifs. Chemical Geology, 7(253), 271. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(71)90011-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaiphei, S. P., Kurakalva, R. M., & Sahadevan, D. K. (2020). Water quality index and GIS-based technique for assessment of groundwater quality in Wanaparthy watershed, Telangana India. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(36), 45041–45062.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valappil, N. K. M., Viswanathan, P. M., & Hamza, V. (2020). Seasonal hydrochemical dynamics of surface water in the Limbang River, Northern Borneo-evaluating for spatial and temporal trends. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 13(19), 980.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vlachou, C., Hofstädter, D., Rauscher-Gabernig, E., Griesbacher, A., Fuchs, K., & König, J. (2020). Probabilistic risk assessment of nitrates for Austrian adults and estimation of the magnitude of their conversion into nitrites. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 145, 111719.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L., He, Z., & Li, J. (2020). Assessing the land use type and environment factors affecting groundwater nitrogen in an arid oasis in northwestern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 27(32), 40061–40074.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., Bian, J., Wan, H., Ma, Y., & Sun, X. (2021). Health risk assessment of groundwater nitrogen pollution in Songnen Plain. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 207, 111245.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., & Sun, Z. (2015). Evaluation of shallow groundwater contamination and associated human health risk in an alluvial plain impacted by agricultural and industrial activities Mid-West China. Exposure and Health, 8(3), 311–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, S., Cui, Y., Yang, C., Wei, S., Dong, W., Huang, L., Liu, C., Ren, Z., & Wang, W. (2021). The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) and the principal component analysis (PCA) model simulation and its applications in water quality assessment of Nansi Lake Basin China. Environmental Engineering Research, 26(2), 222–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan, H., Xiao, J., Liu, T., & Liu, Y. (2020). Evaluation of groundwater geochemical characteristics and quality in the central and Northern Shaanxi Province China. Acta Geochimica, 39(5), 733–740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-020-00427-1

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q., Xu, P., Qian, H., & Yang, F. (2020a). Hydrogeochemistry and fluoride contamination in Jiaokou Irrigation District, Central China: Assessment based on multivariate statistical approach and human health risk. Science of the Total Environment, 741, 140460.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Wu, J., & Xu, B. (2018). Human health risk assessment of groundwater nitrogen pollution in Jinghui canal irrigation area of the loess region, northwest China. Environment and Earth Science, 77(7), 273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Yang, J. S., Yao, R. J., Wang, X. P., & Xie, W. P. (2020b). Short-term effects of biochar and gypsum on soil hydraulic properties and sodicity in a saline-alkali soil. Pedosphere, 30(5), 694–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, B., Wang, X., & Rioual, P. (2017). Multivariate indications between environment and ground water recharge in a sedimentary drainage basin in northwestern China. Journal of Hydrology, 549, 92–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous reviewers and Editor for their useful comments, which helped improve the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41772257; 41472216), the Research Project of Shandong Province Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (No. KY2018003; KY201933), the Shandong Provincial Geological Environment Exploration Project (2016) No.3 and the 68th batch of general projects of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M682207).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China

    Zongjun Gao, Cong Han & Shuyu Yuan

  2. College of Energy and Mining Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China

    Jiutan Liu

  3. 801 Institute of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Jinan, 250014, China

    Yuming Peng & Changsuo Li

  4. Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Jinan, 250014, China

    Yuming Peng & Changsuo Li

  5. Shandong Engineering Research Center for Groundwater Environmental Protection and Remediation, Jinan, 250014, China

    Yuming Peng & Changsuo Li

Authors
  1. Zongjun Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cong Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shuyu Yuan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiutan Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yuming Peng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Changsuo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

ZG contributed to formal analysis and writing—original draft. CH contributed to formal analysis, software, and methodology. SY was involved in formal analysis, software, and methodology. JL contributed to conceptualization, writing—original draft, and writing—review and editing. YP contributed to funding acquisition and resources. CL contributed to investigation, resources, and funding acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiutan Liu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Ethics approval was not required for this research.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gao, Z., Han, C., Yuan, S. et al. Assessment of the hydrochemistry, water quality, and human health risk of groundwater in the northwest of Nansi Lake Catchment, north China. Environ Geochem Health 44, 961–977 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-01011-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-01011-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation