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Effects of 15-year application of municipal wastewater on microbial biomass, fecal pollution indicators, and heavy metals in a Tunisian calcareous soil

  • SOILS, SEC 5 • SOIL AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY • RESEARCH ARTICLE
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Water shortage in most countries of the southern Mediterranean basin has led to the reuse of municipal wastewater for irrigation. Despite numerous advantages for soil fertility and crop productivity, recycling wastewater in the soil also has several ecotoxicological and sanitary problems. To evaluate the chronic soil contamination and the cumulative impact of wastewater, we compared seven plot sites irrigated with treated wastewater 1, 2, 7, 9, 13, and 15 years and one nonirrigated taken as control, and these were sampled for soil analysis.

Materials and methods

Soil samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total organic matter, and total concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Cd. Microbial biomass and enteric bacteria (fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci) were determined in all soil samples.

Results and discussion

The soil pH values were not consistently affected. Soil salinity, measured as EC, appeared significantly high and proportional to the duration of wastewater irrigation. Also, concentrations of total Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) according to the number of irrigation years but are usually under Tunisian standards. The concentration of heavy metals (Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd) showed a significant decrease in the soil profile. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC) is 1.5 times larger in the soil irrigated for 15 years with treated wastewater as compared to the one taken as control. The growth of microorganisms might be explained by the ready source of easily degradable compounds in the oligotrophic soil environment brought about by wastewater irrigation. Soil bacteriological analysis showed that the number of fecal coliforms (FC) and that of fecal streptococci (FS) were affected appreciably (P ≤ 0.05) by the duration of wastewater application (number of years) and by the soil depth (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm).

Conclusions

Treated wastewater irrigation led to changes in physicochemical and microbiological soil properties. The magnitude and specificity of these changes significantly correlated with the duration of such practice. It can be concluded, based on these results, that the proper management of wastewater irrigation and periodic monitoring of soil fertility and quality parameters are required to ensure successful, safe, and long-term reuse of wastewater irrigation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Bouzaine Olfa for her excellent technical assistance. The present study is a part of the 1999–2006 research programs which is supported by the Tunisian Ministry of High Education, Scientific Research and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherches et de Technologies des Eaux, Laboratoire Traitement et Recyclage des Eaux, LP 95, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia

    Yassine Hidri, Olfa Fourti, Saifeddine Eturki, Naceur Jedidi, Abdelkarim Charef & Abdennaceur Hassen

Authors
  1. Yassine Hidri
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  2. Olfa Fourti
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  3. Saifeddine Eturki
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  4. Naceur Jedidi
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  5. Abdelkarim Charef
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  6. Abdennaceur Hassen
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Correspondence to Yassine Hidri.

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Responsible editor: Jizheng He

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Hidri, Y., Fourti, O., Eturki, S. et al. Effects of 15-year application of municipal wastewater on microbial biomass, fecal pollution indicators, and heavy metals in a Tunisian calcareous soil. J Soils Sediments 14, 155–163 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0801-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0801-4

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