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Fluoride, nitrate and water hardness in groundwater supplied to the rural communities of Ensenada County, Baja California, Mexico

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

The hydrogeochemistry of 26 wells belonging to ten different aquifers in the county of Ensenada, Baja California, is studied. These wells are all used to supply the rural communities in the region, which comprise ~37,000 inhabitants, excluding the city of Ensenada. High total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations (maximum 7.35 g l−1) indicate that salt is a ubiquitous contaminant in the aquifers due to seawater intrusion. The aquifers that support extensive agriculture activities (Maneadero, San Quintín, San Simón and El Rosario) are characterized by higher N–NO3 concentrations (maximum 20 mg l−1) derived from fertilizers. Fluoride concentrations exceed the 1.5 mg l−1 Mexican official limit in only four wells. The enrichments of F− in the southern aquifers are thought to be associated to water–rock interactions controlled mainly by Na–Ca equilibrium reactions with fluorite, as suggested from high dissolved Na concentrations in these waters. In the northern aquifer of Maneadero, no enrichment of Na is found and a geothermal source for F− is likely. Water is hard to moderately hard, with Ca/Mg ratios >1. Although drinking water directly from the tap is not a common practice in these localities, most sources have concentrations of major ions and TDS that exceed the Mexican official limits.

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Acknowledgments

Authors kindly acknowledge the continuous support of the Baja California State Public Services Commission in Ensenada (CESPE), especially Andrés Millán and Patricia Silva, for their continuous support. The CNA office at Ensenada kindly provided us with available official reports. Thanks to Eduardo Ortiz and Ulises Moreno (UABC), as well as Daniele Lutz (FAU), for their valued laboratory assistance and also to the Mexican Secretary for Education (Grant PROMEP-UABC-CA130-2007). The present research was carried out under a fellowship to LWD from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California UABC, Km 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

    L. W. Daesslé, L. Ruiz-Montoya, V. F. Camacho-Ibar, L. G. Mendoza-Espinosa, A. L. Quintanilla-Montoya & K. C. Lugo-Ibarra

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California UABC, 22830, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

    L. Ruiz-Montoya & K. C. Lugo-Ibarra

  3. Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Geologie, Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie, Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schloßgarten 5, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    L. W. Daesslé, H. J. Tobschall & R. Chandrajith

  4. Department of Geology, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    R. Chandrajith

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  1. L. W. Daesslé
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  2. L. Ruiz-Montoya
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  3. H. J. Tobschall
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  4. R. Chandrajith
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  5. V. F. Camacho-Ibar
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  6. L. G. Mendoza-Espinosa
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  7. A. L. Quintanilla-Montoya
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  8. K. C. Lugo-Ibarra
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Correspondence to L. W. Daesslé.

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Daesslé, L.W., Ruiz-Montoya, L., Tobschall, H.J. et al. Fluoride, nitrate and water hardness in groundwater supplied to the rural communities of Ensenada County, Baja California, Mexico. Environ Geol 58, 419–429 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1512-9

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