Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University
3
Department of Water, Wastewater and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Population growth and the limitations of freshwater resources have heightened the importance of assessing the quality of groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. The Bahar Plain, located in the northwest of Hamadan Province and characterized by a cold semi-arid climate, is a major source of drinking water and agricultural supply for the region. The objective of this study is to evaluate the groundwater quality of the Hamadan–Bahar Plain for drinking purposes. For quality assessment, spatial and temporal variations of four indicators—pH, nitrate, bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), and electrical conductivity (EC)—were examined over the period 2020–2024. Data were collected from 20 wells and spatially interpolated using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method based on neighborhood power in a GIS environment.
The results indicated that pH values ranged from 7.6 to 7.9, remaining within the desirable range (6.5–8.5) throughout the study period. Nitrate concentrations in some areas exceeded 50 mg/L, showing a gradual increasing trend over time. EC values in parts of the plain surpassed 1,000 µS/cm, indicating the onset of salinity conditions. Bicarbonate levels did not exceed 10 mg/L at any point, remaining within acceptable limits. To identify water quality patterns, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied. Based on all indicators, the wells were classified into four main clusters, using Ward’s method with Euclidean distance applied to normalized data. These findings emphasize the necessity of focused management in the eastern and southern regions of the plain, along with continuous monitoring of groundwater quality changes.
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