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Application of multivariate statistical analysis and hydrochemical and isotopic investigations for evaluation of groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agriculture purposes: case of Oum Ali-Thelepte aquifer, central Tunisia

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Abstract

Groundwater plays a dominant role in arid regions; it is among the most available water resources in Tunisia. Located in northwestern Tunisia, Oum Ali-Thelepte is a deep Miocene sedimentary aquifer, where groundwater is the most important source of water supply. The aim of the study is to investigate the hydrochemical processes leading to mineralization and to assess water quality with respect to agriculture and drinking for a better management of groundwater resources. To achieve such objectives, water analysis was carried out on 16 groundwater samples collected during January–February 2014. Stable isotopes and 26 hydrochemical parameters were examined. The interpretation of these analytical data showed that the concentrations of major and trace elements were within the permissible level for human use. The distribution of mineral processes in this aquifer was identified using conventional classification techniques, suggesting that the water facies gradually changes from Ca–HCO3 to Mg–SO4 type and are controlled by water–rock interaction. These results were endorsed using multivariate statistical methods such as principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The sustainability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation was assessed based on the water quality index (WQI) and on Wilcox and Richards’s diagrams. This aquifer has been classified as “excellent water” serving good irrigation in the area. As for the stable isotope, the measurements showed that groundwater samples lay between global meteoric water line (GMWL) and LMWL; hence, this arrangement signifies that the recharge of the Oum Ali-Thelepte aquifer is ensured by rainwater infiltration through mountains in the border of the aquifer without evaporation effects.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the CILIUM project funded by the Swiss government. The authors warmly thank Dr. Ellen Milnes and Dr. Pierre Perrochet from the laboratory of the Centre of Hydrogeology and Geothermic (CHYN) in Neuchatel in Switzerland for their contribution to the analyses of the major and trace elements. We thank also Dr. Waber Niklaus from the laboratory of rock–water interaction in the Institute of Geological Sciences in Bern in Switzerland for his contribution to the isotopic analyses. The authors gratefully thank the National Society of Drinking Water in Tunisia (SONEDE), the Resources Water Direction of Tunis (DGRE) and the Regional Direction of Agriculture and Water Resources of Kasserine (CRDA Kasserine).

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  1. Modeling Hydraulic and Environmental Laboratory, National Engineering School of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, BP 37, Belvedere, 1002, Tunis, Tunisia

    Imen Hassen & Rachida Bouhlila

  2. Research Unit of Geochemistry and Environmental Geology, Department of Geology, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, University Campus, Tunis, Tunisia

    Fadoua Hamzaoui-Azaza

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Hassen, I., Hamzaoui-Azaza, F. & Bouhlila, R. Application of multivariate statistical analysis and hydrochemical and isotopic investigations for evaluation of groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agriculture purposes: case of Oum Ali-Thelepte aquifer, central Tunisia. Environ Monit Assess 188, 135 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5124-7

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