Abstract
The assessment of the origin of groundwater from a shallow unconfined aquifer whose water is allocated both to people and to irrigation in the eastern part of Mitidja plain in Algeria was carried out using geochemical and isotopic techniques (18O, 2H and 3H). Both hydrochemical and isotopic information gathered for eastern Mitidja’s alluvial aquifer were used to investigate the main processes controlling groundwater chemistry. The water quality aspect was dealt with through the use of the Water Quality Index (WQI) which revealed that a major part of groundwater is suitable for drinking purposes. A Piper diagram indicates that groundwater is of a Cl–SO4–Ca water type. Its mineralization is mainly derived not only from precipitation (wetfall and dryfall), from water–rock interactions (dissolution of evaporites) but also from the precipitation of marine derived solutes in this coastal area (suffering a seawater intrusion phenomenon as well as a drawdown of piezometric levels). The concentrations in Fe, Mn, Ni and Cd were found for part of the samples higher than the prescribed limits recommended by the World Health Organization. Isotopes indicate that groundwater is young, since it originates from direct infiltration of precipitation that is mostly induced by Mediterranean atmospheric disturbances.
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Khous, D., Moulla, A.S., Cherchali, M.EH. et al. Groundwater origin and quality appraisal through a combined geochemical and isotopic approach in the greater Algiers district (Algeria). Environ Earth Sci 80, 716 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-10016-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-10016-x