ASSESMENT OF THE WATER QUALITY OF SOME WELLS IN …geografie-uoradea.ro/Reviste/Anale/Art/2016-1/9.AUOG_703_Dinu.pdf · al., 2012; Briciu, 2010, 2016). However, there is a sepparation

AAnnaalleellee UUnniivveerrssiittăăţţiiii ddiinn OOrraaddeeaa,, SSeerriiaa GGeeooggrraaffiiee Year XXXXVVII, no. 11//22001166 (June), pp. 9944--110066 ISSN 11222211--11227733, E-ISSN 22006655--33440099 Article no. 226611110099--770033

http://istgeorelint.uoradea.ro/Reviste/Anale/anale.htm

ASSESMENT OF THE WATER QUALITY OF SOME WELLS IN TODIREȘTI AND PĂRHĂUȚI SETTLEMENTS

Dinu Iulian OPREA-GANCEVICI Faculty of History and Geography, Ștefan cel Mare University, Universității 13, Suceava, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]

Adrian-Ionut GEMANAR

Faculty of History and Geography, Ștefan cel Mare University, Universității 13, Suceava, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]

Alexandru GIRIGAN

Faculty of History and Geography, Ștefan cel Mare University, Universității 13, Suceava, Romania

Abstract: We analyze the pollution of the waters from wells in the built areas of Todirești and Părhăuți for the following parameters: ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate and sulfide (water samples collected on August 29th, 2015). The groundwater is more polluted in Părhăuți than in Todirești. The highest water pollution is caused by nitrates and orthophosphates. There is a relevant positive correlation between the depth to groundwater table and the orthophosphate concentration in Părhăuți. The water pollution with orthophosphates is caused by domestic waters rich in detergents. At least the orthophosphate concentration will increase in the near future due to the increasing standard of living. Keywords: nitrate, orthophosphate, groundwater table, built area, maps

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INTRODUCTION AND STUDY AREA Good water quality for domestic use is often a difficult problem in the rural areas of

central-eastern Europe when water is pumped from the local phreatic aquifers. Even if there are no economic activities, the lack of proper wastewater and rainwater collection can lead to groundwater and surface water pollution (Gill et al., 2009; Chang et al., 2004). The road traffic, part of the actual basic human transportation, is also causing water pollution (Eyles & Meriano, 2010; Gutuleac et al., 2010). Stormwater can spread pollutants on large surfaces in both groundwaters and surface waters, in rural and urban areas and depends on the density of impervious surfaces such as roads, roofs and other constructed areas (Mallin et al., 2009; Briciu et al., 2012; Briciu, 2010, 2016). However, there is a sepparation between an inherent water contamination and water pollution (Chapman, 2007) depending on the community standards concerning the water quality for various uses, which includes water drinking. Corresponding Author

Assesment of the Water Quality of Same Wells in Todirești and Părhăuţi Settlements

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The groundwater pollution with nutrients is a common problem in many rural areas of Romania (Gurzau et al., 2010), including Suceava Plateau (Briciu & Oprea-Gancevici, 2010, 2011a, 2011b) where Todirești and Părhăuți settlements are located (figure 1). These settlements are part of Todirești commune, that had a population of 5370 people at July 1st, 2014 (I.N.S.S.E., 2015). In the built area of the studied settlements, the geologic strata form a homocline with a lithology represented by an alternance of Volhynian clays, marls, sands and sandstones. Folded strata were identified in Popii Valley (Oprea-Gancevici, 2009). Quaternary deposits (loess, sands and gravel) can be found along the rivers and on the fluvial terraces of Suceava River; active landslides can be found on the western and northern hillsides of Osoiu Hill.

Figure 1. The geographic setting of the studied settlements

The main river crossing the built areas is Soloneț, a tributary of Suceava River. The area

has a temperate continental climate with an average annual air temperature of ~8°C and ~600 mm amount of precipitation (Tanasa, 2011). The territory of Todirești commune is included in some hydrologic studies (such as Răduianu, 2009), but none of them is analysing the detailed spatial distribution of multiple groundwater contaminants in our study area.

DATA AND METHODOLOGY Water samples were collected from wells in the built areas of Todirești and Părhăuți on August 29th, 2015. Within 24h from sampling, the collected waters were analysed for their concentration of ammonium, nitrites, nitrates, orthophosphates and sulfides. The first four parameters represent pollutants known as nutrients, some of them being originated from organic matter; sulfides are also produced from the organic matter decay. All parameters are good

Dinu Iulian OPREA-GANCEVICI, Adrian-Ionuţ GEMANAR, Alexandru GIRIGAN

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indicators of human and animal dejections. The spatial distribution of the selected wells was chosen so that they uniformly cover the built areas (figure 2a, b).

a)

b) Figure 2. Position of the water sampling points in Todirești (a) and Părhăuți (b)


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The water samples were analysed by using a Hach DR2800 spectrofotometer with reagents that allowed accurate readings for the following ranges:0.015-2 mg/l for ammonium (NH4

+-N), 0.002-0.3 mg/l for nitrites(NO2

--N), 0.1-10 mg/l for nitrates (NO3--N), 0.02-2.5 mg/l for

orthophosphates (PO43-) and 5-800 µg/l for sulfides (S2-). The same analysis method was

previously used by Briciu and Oprea-Gancevici (2010, 2011a, b) for analyzing the groundwater quality of other rural settlements in Suceava Plateau. For each parameter, the measured raw values were converted into quality values (1 – very good, 2 – good, 3 – average, 4 – mediocre, 5 – deteriorated) corresponding to the quality classes regulated by Order 161/2006 of the available legislation in Romania that was meant to have similar values to those of the European Union. The quality values were interpolated in ArcGIS, resulting interpolation maps that were then cropped by using the built area as extraction mask. Exception from these rules are for sulfides and for the combined quality map. Sulfides are not classified into quality classes according to the Romanian legislation; therefore, only the measured values are showed on maps. The combined quality classes map do not use the quality value of each parameter in a separate manner, but chooses for each sampling point the worst quality class recorded for all parameters. This is the rule applied by the Romanian Waters National Agency (A.N.A.R.) in order to give a synthetic indicator of the water quality. On the maps showing combined quality classes, the raw value of each parameter (found on the other maps) is replaced by the arithmedic average of all quality values for all parameters in each point (for an alternative way to obtain a synthetic view of the water quality).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Ammonium is in very low concentration in both settlements and the water quality is very

good (figure 3a, b). No well has concentrations above the Maximum Admissible Concentration (MAC) of 0.5 mg/lNH4

+-N. The only problematic site is point 3 in Părhăuți, placed at the lower end of the built area and in the common floodplain of Suceava and Solonet rivers. The ammonium concentration here is 0.366 mg/l NH4

+-N, very close to the upper limit of the very good class (0.4 mg/l NH4

+-N). Nitrites have the highest concentration in Părhăuți in point no. 10, where mediocre water

quality is recorded (figure 4a, b). This concentration is not a surprise because, in the same yard where the fountain is located, there is also a stable. Animal manure is responsible for the high nitrite pollution. Points no. 3, 4, 5 and 12 have consistent above average concentration of nitrites in Todirești. From these points, no. 5 and 12 have the same source of pollution as no. 10 in Părhăuți: stables. At no. 12, there is the location of a former C.A.P. used for animal husbandry.

The continuous area with higher nitrite concentration in the western part of the built area of Todirești could be partly explained by the low depth at which the water table can be found in wells. The average depth to groundwater table in these three points was ~5.3 m, while the other monitored wells in Todirești have an average depth to water table of ~10.5 m (the minimum depth was in point 5 (3 m) and the maximum depth was in points 1 and 14 (20 m)).The water table lying closer to the topographic surface is more vulnerable to nitrite pollution as the soil buffer is thinner. Point 10 in Părhăuți had a depth to water table of 15 m, while the average depth to water table in the other wells of the built area of Părhăuți is ~9.9 m (minimum: pont 7 – 4 m, maximum: point 11 – 19 m). In point 10 of Părhăuți, the source of pollution seems to be strong enough to percolate pollutants to high depths. In all sampling points, the MAC for potable water(0.5 mg/l) is not reached.

The dominant water quality in Todirești, when nitrate is analised, is the average water quality (figure 5a). Wells with good and mediocre water quality are also recorded. The built area of Părhăuți has all quality classes, starting from the very good quality in E and progressively deteriorating to W until the deteriorated class is reached (figure 5b). Nitrate in Todirești commune is most probably originated from the fertilizers used by local people in their backyards.


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a)

b) Figure 3. Territorial distribution of ammonium quality classes and concentration

in Todirești (a) and Părhăuți (b)


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a)

b) Figure 4. Territorial distribution of nitrite quality classes and concentration



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a)

b) Figure 5. Territorial distribution of nitrate quality classes and concentration


The groundwater quality worsening from E to W in Părhăuți for nitrates is highly correlated with the depth to groundwater table (the Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.7). Smaller depth to


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water table implies better water quality, probably due to a better water circulation in the fluvial terraces of Suceava Rivers, able to faster remove the contaminants. The depth to water table in the eastern half (points 1-8) of the built area of Părhăuți is 6.5 m (and the average nitrate concentration is 2 mg/l NO3

--N), while in the wastern half (points 9-15) it is 14.6m (corresponding to an average concentration of 6.64 mg/l NO3

--N). The only point with the deteriorated water quality for nitrates is also the point with the highest depth to water level.

The arable land encircles the built area of Părhăuți almost completely, while the north-western border of the built area of Todirești is represented by forested land. The different neighbourhoods is important as Popii Valley, where the highest nitrate pollution is found, is an entirely arable land catchment. However, the MAC of 50 mg/l in not reached in any settlement.

The territorial distribution of groundwater pollution with soluble orthophosphates shows a very irregular distribution of the quality classes (figure 6a, b). Părhăuți records, again, the worst pollution. An aerial/satellite view of the built area of Todirești indicate that the central part of the built area is not constructed, but covered with arable lands of the backyards and other agricultural lands. This central part approximately corresponds to the area of very good quality class waters (figure 6a). The explanation is that the pollution with Phosphorus in the built areas originates mainly from the use of detergents when a centralised sewerage system is missing and the domestic wastewaters are sent directly into soils (Gill et al., 2009). Sometimes, Phosphorus can be washed from the nearby agricultural lands by groundwaters or stormwater (Kunishi et al., 1972) and this can partly explain the highest orthophosphate concentration in some wells of Părhăuți.

Because the living standards are increasing, we can expect an increase in water pollution caused by orthophosphates. An increased standard of living implies a higher acces to potable water, probably from a public water supply network. When the new amounts of waters will become wastewaters, the groundwater quality will deteriorate because an efficient system for collecting wastewaters will be constructed, more probably, much later that the potable water distribution network. Even if the population of Todirești commune remained relatively stable over time (5778 people at the 2002 census, 5259 people at the 2011 census and 5370 at July 1st, 2014 (I.N.S.S.E., 2015)), the number of buildings and the inhabitable area have grown very fast (1942 buildings at the 2002 census, 2107 buildings at the 2011 census, 2207 buildings at July 1st, 2014 (I.N.S.S.E., 2015), resulting a 13.6% increase in the number of buildings between 2002 and 2014; 66673 m2 at the 2002 census, 82971 m2 at the 2011 census, 107562 m2 at July 1st, 2014 (I.N.S.S.E., 2015), resulting a 61.3% increase of the inhabitable area). These evolutions have certainly increased the groundwater pollution and will certainly do the same thing at least in the near future. Actually, there is no value above or even near the MAC of 50 mg/l P-PO4

3-. The sulfide concentration in the water from wells is very low, often under the detection

range of our method (figure 7). The highest sulfide concentration is in Todirești at point 5, probably correlated with the high nitrite concentration caused by animal manure from the mentioned stable. The average sulfide concentration is higher in Părhăuți. The MAC value of 100 µg/lis reached in no sampling point.

The maps with the combined water quality classes show more polluted waters in the eastern half of Todirești and the western half of Părhăuți (figure 8) for both classifications (the A.N.A.R. system that keeps only the worst quality class in each point and the arithmetic average of all classes recorded in each point). In both settlements, the main pollutants responsible for the most polluted areas are nitrates and orthophosphates. Because there are chemical exchanges between rivers and groundwaters, we measured the studied parameters of a water sample from the main river, Soloneț River, in Părhăuți (on August 29th, 2015, too), in order to compare both environments. The measured values were: 0.059 mg/l NH4

+-N, 0.004 mg/l NO2--N, 0.1 mg/l NO3

--N, 0.18 mg/l P-PO43- and 7 µg/l S2-.


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a)

b) Figure 6. Territorial distribution of orthophosphate quality classes and concentration



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a)

b) Figure 7. Territorial distribution of sulfide concentration in Todirești (a) and Părhăuți (b)


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a)

b) Figure 8. Territorial distribution of the combined A.N.A.R. quality classes and arithmetic average water

quality classes (as numeric values) in Todirești (a) and Părhăuți (b) All parameters indicate very good classes of water quality, excepting the orthophosphates,

where the water quality is only good. The water quality in the local rivers seems to be much better


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than that found in the selected wells, suggesting that the groundwater pollution is a persistent problem in the studied area (few decades at least).

Climate type is essential for water quality under the same human impact. Climate change plays an important role in the spatial distribution of pollutants (Kundzewicz & Krysanova, 2010). Important for the chemical reactions in the water well is the meteorological context (for example, the chemical oxidation of nitrites into nitrates, which depends on temperature). The diurnal thermal profiles of the local groundwaters and rivers (Briciu & Oprea-Gancevici, 2015) is influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of the pollutants’ concentration.The Suceava Plateau undergoes important climatic changes (Briciu & Mihaila, 2012) whose effects on the water quality of wells in built areas remains to be discovered.

CONCLUSIONS The water quality in the studied wells is typical for the rural Romania, recording high

pollution with nitrate and orthophosphate. There is a relationship between the depth to water table and the groundwater pollution in some places: when the water table is closer to the topographic surface, the nitrite concentration is higher in Todirești; there is a positive correlation of 0.7 Pearson coefficient between the depth to water table and nitrate concentration in Părhăuți. Deteriorated waters were recorded in Părhăuți for the nitrate and orthophosphate parameters.A worsening of the groundwater pollution is expected in the near future.

Acknowlegments We thank Andrei-Emil Briciu (Department of Geography, Ștefan cel Mare University) for

the scientific guidance offered for writing this article.

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Submitted: Revised: Accepted and published online December 04, 2015 May 09, 2016 May 31, 2016

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ASSESMENT OF THE WATER QUALITY OF SOME WELLS IN …geografie-uoradea.ro/Reviste/Anale/Art/2016-1/9.AUOG_703_Dinu.pdf · al., 2012; Briciu, 2010, 2016). However, there is a sepparation