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Hydrochemistry of Fluoride in Groundwaters from the Permo–Triassic Aquifer System of Central Shaanxi Province, Northwest China

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An Erratum to this article was published on 20 December 2016

Abstract

The district of Chengcheng lies within Weinan city in central Shaanxi Province. It suffers from serious water shortages, a dilemma that is amplified by elevated concentrations of fluoride in the groundwater, a primary source of domestic water supply. To determine the extent and origin of the fluoride problem, a study was undertaken involving 144 groundwater samples collected from two aquifers in the region: the shallow Quaternary overburden aquifer (QLB) (10 samples) and the more widely utilized Permo–Triassic-fractured rock aquifer (PTF) (134 samples). Spatial analysis of the hydrochemical data shows that concentrations of fluoride in the PTF increase from north to south, generally following the direction of groundwater flow. 50 % of the samples show fluoride in excess of the 1.0 mg/L drinking water quality standard. Statistical analysis of data from the Permo–Triassic-fractured rock aquifer shows the fluoride to correlate positively with Ca2+, Na+, and HCO3 − and suggests mineral dissolution involving fluorite (CaF2) to be the primary source of the elevated fluoride. Analysis using PHREEQC reveals the groundwaters to be oversaturated with respect to calcite but undersaturated with respect to fluorite, and support such a hypothesis. Significantly, a positive relationship between NO3 − and F− for the PTF groundwaters suggests that trace amounts of fluoride in applied fertilizers may provide an additional source of fluoride. 28 water samples were also investigated using stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) and reveal that aquifer recharge is primarily due to irrigation water derived from the Shibaochuan Reservoir at high elevation to the north west of the study area, the irrigation water undergoing significant evaporation prior to entering the aquifer. The concentrating effect of evaporation also contributes to the elevated fluoride problem.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge funding support from the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities, China (No. 2013G1502045), a China Scholarship Council award to the first author, and project funding from the China Geology Survey (No. 12120113103600) to the first, fourth, and fifth authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi’an, 710054, People’s Republic of China

    You Dou & Liwei Yang

  2. Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi’an, 710054, People’s Republic of China

    You Dou

  3. Groundwater Research Group, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada

    Ken Howard

  4. Xi’an Center of Geological Survey, CGS, Xi’an, 710054, People’s Republic of China

    Dong Wang & Li Guo

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  1. You Dou
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  2. Ken Howard
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  3. Liwei Yang
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  4. Dong Wang
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  5. Li Guo
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Correspondence to You Dou.

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12403-016-0239-1.

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Dou, Y., Howard, K., Yang, L. et al. Hydrochemistry of Fluoride in Groundwaters from the Permo–Triassic Aquifer System of Central Shaanxi Province, Northwest China. Expo Health 8, 419–429 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-016-0218-6

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