The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010

Abstract: Groundwater is one of the earth’s most widely distributed and most important natural resources. Groundwater exists, wherever water penetrates beneath the surface. The rocks beneath the surface are permeable enough to transmit water, and at places, the rate of infiltration is so sufficient that the rocks are saturated to an appreciable thickness. This water may be fresh or brackish in quality. As the fresh water constitutes very little quantity of the total water available, we must think as to how best we can exploit it, and utilize it. With the growth of population, today in many of the places water has become a critical source. In many places it is dwindling both in quality and quantity, creating problems for the communities involved. Water Quality Index indicates the quality of drinking water by assessing physical, chemical and biological parameters of water. India had the most studies, with 177 articles, followed by China, Brazil and the United States. This four countries together published 57% of studies on WQI. Groundwater quality implies the level of concentration of different constituents of water which is ultimately described if it is suitable or not for drinking or other purpose such as irrigation. There are mainly three types of constituents or parameters for describing quality of groundwater as physiological, chemical and biological parameters. These parameters are described below: EC ,TDS, K, Na, Ca ,Mg ,TH, Co3, HCO3, Cl, SO4 ,and also we determine some trace element such as Copper (Cu) ,Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn) ,Nickel (Ni) ,Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn). Keywords: Gokul Shirgaon , Hydrogeochemical , GroundWater

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Transboundary Aquifers between Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico, and California, Arizona and New Mexico, United States: Identification and Categorization

Water ◽

10.3390/w13202878 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (20) ◽

pp. 2878

Author(s):

Rosario Sanchez ◽

Laura Rodriguez

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Water Quality ◽

New Mexico ◽

Baja California ◽

The United States ◽

Border Region ◽

Aquifer Potential ◽

Transboundary Aquifers ◽

The U.S

In 2016, research suggested there might be up to 36 transboundary aquifers located along the border between Mexico and the U.S. The main contribution of this study was to put together the available segments already existent in the literature without considering the validity of the criteria used to define the boundaries of those segments. In 2018, updated research reported 33 hydrogeological units (HGUs) crossing the boundaries between Mexico and Texas. This later analysis included the homogenization of geological nomenclatures, standardization of geological and hydrogeological criteria, using a specific methodology to correlate, identify, and delineate each HGU. The purpose of this paper is to use this latter methodology and expand the same analysis to include the transboundary aquifers between Baja California/California, Sonora/Arizona, and Chihuahua/New Mexico. Results of this study indicate that a total of 39 HGUs have been identified in this region which accounts for an approximate shareable land of 135,000 km2 where both countries share half of the area. From the total shareable area, around 40% reports good to moderate aquifer potential and water quality, of which 65% is in the U.S. and 35% on the Mexico side. Border-wide, the total number of HGUs in the border region between Mexico and the United States is 72, covering an approximate area of 315,000 km2 (180,000 km2 on the U.S. side and 135,000 km2 on the Mexico side). The total area that reports good to moderate aquifer potential as well as good to regular water quality ranges between 50 and 55% (of which approximately 60% is in the U.S. and the rest in Mexico).

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