Groundwater is essential for drinking as well as irrigation purposes. The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the biotic and abiotic environments is widely recorded, but little is known about MP ...occurrence in groundwater. This study assessed MP contamination and hydrochemical quality in a shallow and unconfined aquifer of Tuticorin, India. Water samples were collected from bore wells and open wells for MP assessment and hydrochemical analysis. All the physicochemical parameters are within defined limits, and the significant variations observed could be due to rock–water interaction and the mixing of seawater and freshwater. MPs are found in groundwater samples with an average abundance of 29.73±3.27 items per liter (range 9–39 items per liter), whereas the mean MP abundance is found to be higher in bore wells (32.9±4 items per liter) than in open wells (23.9±3.56 items per liter). The dominant type of MPs observed are fibers and the colors are red, black and white with a predominant size <3 mm. Results of a hazard assessment (polymer hazard index, PHI) on the MPs place the samples under the hazard level IV category due to the presence of high-hazard-score polymers such as polyamide, polystyrene and polyurethane. No significant correlation is noted between the groundwater quality and the quantity of MPs. The presence of MPs in the groundwater could be due to infiltration from surface sources of plastic pollution and could also result from the mixing of seawater and freshwater. Further study is necessary to identify the sources of MP contamination and to assess the capacity of MPs to infiltrate the aquifer.
A reconnaissance was performed for Tunnel Diquini and Source Mariani in the metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to address concerns of decreasing flows and to evaluate potential impacts of ...a proposed river diversion scheme in the study area. The tunnel and spring are the two largest water sources serving the Port-au-Prince municipal water system and discharge from the Massif de la Selle carbonate aquifer. Considering their significance and importance to the water security of the region, there are limited data or studies specific to the water sources. An introductory framework was established regarding the flow regimes, the origin of waters, and recharge dynamics of the sources. Field reconnaissance and stable-isotope, tracer, and chloride-mass-balance techniques were applied to strengthen the conceptual understanding of the water sources. Recharge to this portion of the Massif de la Selle carbonate aquifer is variable depending on monthly rainfall intensity and 3–7-year climatic cycles. Rather than a consistent long-term decreasing flow trend, a particularly intense period from 2007 through 2010 resulted in the highest flows on record, which have steadily recessed to historical norms in recent years. The recharge characteristics and catchment areas indicate that neither water source is connected to the River Momance; however, a connection to the River Froide is possible, particularly related to the tunnel. Finally, recharge rates and an estimate of renewable groundwater in the Massif de la Selle show the regional significance and importance of the carbonate aquifer for current supplies and future water development.
California's climate is characterized by the largest precipitation and streamflow variability observed within the conterminous US This, combined with chronic groundwater overdraft of 0.6-3.5 km3 ...yr−1, creates the need to identify additional surface water sources available for groundwater recharge using methods such as agricultural groundwater banking, aquifer storage and recovery, and spreading basins. High-magnitude streamflow, i.e. flow above the 90th percentile, that exceeds environmental flow requirements and current surface water allocations under California water rights, could be a viable source of surface water for groundwater banking. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the magnitude, frequency, duration and timing of high-magnitude streamflow (HMF) for 93 stream gauges covering the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Tulare basins in California. The results show that in an average year with HMF approximately 3.2 km3 of high-magnitude flow is exported from the entire Central Valley to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta often at times when environmental flow requirements of the Delta and major rivers are exceeded. High-magnitude flow occurs, on average, during 7 and 4.7 out of 10 years in the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin-Tulare Basins, respectively, from just a few storm events (5-7 1-day peak events) lasting for 25-30 days between November and April. The results suggest that there is sufficient unmanaged surface water physically available to mitigate long-term groundwater overdraft in the Central Valley.
Phthalates are plasticizers and are concerned environmental endocrine-disrupting compounds. Due to their extensive usage in plastic manufacturing and personal care products as well as the potential ...to leach out from these products, phthalates have been detected in various aquatic environments including drinking water, groundwater, surface water, and wastewater. The primary source of their environmental occurrence is the discharge of phthalate-laden wastewater and sludge. This review focuses on recent knowledge on the occurrence of phthalate in different aquatic environments and their fate in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment processes. This review also summarizes recent advances in biological removal and degradation mechanisms of phthalates, identifies knowledge gaps, and suggests future research directions.
Understanding the interactions of vegetation and soil water under varying hydrological conditions is crucial to aid quantitative assessment of land‐use sustainability for maintaining water supply for ...humans and plants. Isolating and estimating the volume and ages of water stored within different compartments of the critical zone, and the associated fluxes of evaporation, transpiration, and groundwater recharge, facilitates quantification of these soil–plant‐water interactions and the response of ecohydrological fluxes to wet and dry periods. We used the tracer‐aided ecohydrological model EcH2O‐iso to examine the response of water ages of soil water storage, groundwater recharge, evaporation, and root‐uptake at a mixed land use site, in northeastern Germany during the drought of 2018 and in the following winter months. The approach applied uses a dynamic vegetation routine which constrains water use by ecological mechanisms. Two sites with regionally typical land‐use types were investigated: a forested site with sandy soils and a deep rooting zone and a grassland site, with loamier soils and shallower rooting zone. This results in much younger water ages (<1 year) through the soil profile in the forest compared to the grass, coupled with younger groundwater recharge. The higher water use in the forest resulted in a more pronounced annual cycle of water ages compared to the more consistent water age in the loamier soil of the grasslands. The deeper rooting zone of the forested site also resulted in older root‐uptake water usage relative to soil evaporation, while the grassland site root‐uptake was similar to that of soil evaporation. Besides more dynamic water ages in the forest, replenishment of younger soil waters to soil storage was within 6 months following the drought (cf. >8 months in the grassland). The temporal evaluation of the responsiveness of soil and vegetation interactions in hydrologic extremes such as 2018 is essential to understand changes in hydrological processes and the resilience of the landscape to the longer and more severe summer droughts predicted under future climate change.
Cycle of pre‐drought, drought, and recovery of “green” and “blue” water fluxes and soil water ages of grassland and forested sites.
Standardized methods are needed to support monitoring of antibiotic resistance in environmental samples. Culture-based methods target species of human-health relevance, while the direct ...quantification of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) measures the antibiotic resistance potential in the microbial community. This study compared measurements of tetracycline-, sulphonamide-, and cefotaxime-resistant presumptive total and fecal coliforms and presumptive enterococci versus a suite of ARGs quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) across waste-, recycled-, tap-, and freshwater. Cross-laboratory comparison of results involved measurements on samples collected and analysed in the US and Portugal. The same DNA extracts analysed in the US and Portugal produced comparable qPCR results (variation <28%), except for
gene (0%-57%). Presumptive total and fecal coliforms and cefotaxime-resistant total coliforms strongly correlated with
and
1 (0.725 ≤ R
≤ 0.762;
< 0.0001). Further, presumptive total and fecal coliforms correlated with the
-specific biomarkers,
and
, suggesting that both methods captured fecal-sourced bacteria. The genes encoding resistance to sulphonamides (
and
) were the most abundant, followed by genes encoding resistance to tetracyclines (
(A) and
(O)) and β-lactams (
and
), which was in agreement with the culture-based enumerations. The findings can help inform future application of methods being considered for international antibiotic resistance surveillance in the environment.
Water quality monitoring is crucial in managing water resources and ensuring their safety for human use and environmental health. In the Al-Jawf Basin, we conducted a study on the Quaternary aquifer, ...where various techniques were utilized to evaluate, simulate, and predict the groundwater quality (GWQ) for irrigation. These techniques include water quality indices (IWQIs), geochemical modeling, multivariate statistical analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS). Physicochemical analysis was conducted on the collected groundwater samples to determine their composition. The results showed that the order of abundance of ions was Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ and SO42− > Cl− > HCO3− > NO3−. The assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation based on indices such as Irrigation water quality index (IWQI), sodium adsorption ratio(SAR), sodium percent (Na%), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), potential salinity (PS), and residual sodium carbonate RSC, which revealed moderate-to-severe restrictions in some samples. The Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model was then used to predict the IWQIs with high accuracy during both the training and testing phases. Overall, these findings provide valuable information for decision-makers in water quality management and can aid in the sustainable development of water resources.
Sustainable management of groundwater resources requires detailed basin-wide water assessments. Semi-urbanized areas surrounding metropolitan cities in the western part of India were assessed for ...their suitability for domestic, irrigation, and industrial purposes. These study areas reflect rapid urban growth with residential complexes, combined with agricultural, horticultural, and industrial uses. Therefore, 68 representative groundwater samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (PRM) and post-monsoon (POM) seasons of 2015 and analyzed for major ions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking standards, parameters like EC, TDS, TH, HCO
3
, Ca, and Mg were found to exceed the desirable maximum limits, and the B and F content exceeded the permissible limits. The drinking suitability was studied using the modified water quality index (MWQI). The irrigation suitability was assessed using indices such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), percent sodium (%Na), and permeability index (PI). The industrial suitability was evaluated based on Langelier saturation index (LSI), saturation index (SI), Ryznar stability index (RSI), etc. MWQI results corroborate that 52.94 and 70% samples fall in no pollution category, and 47% and 30% samples were identified to be in the moderate category of pollution in the PRM season and POM season, respectively. The spatial variation maps of LSI, SI, RSI, Puckorius scaling index (PSI) and Larson–Skold index (LaI) show that the majority of the samples in the PRM season have low to insignificant scaling and corrosive potentials as compared to POM samples. The study results provide reliable information for water reserve managers to prepare the sustainable and more accurate basin management plans.
This book illustrates the benefits of water reuse in integrated water resources management and its role for water cycle management, climate change adaptation and water in the cities of the future. ...Selected case studies are used to illustrate the different types of water reuse, i.e. agricultural irrigation, golf course and landscape irrigation, urban and industrial uses, environmental enhancement, as well as indirect and direct potable reuse. The various aspects related to water reuse are covered, including treatment technologies, water quality, economics, public acceptance, benefits, keys for success and main constraints. This book provides policy makers and regulators with a good understanding of water reuse and helps them to consider recycled water as safe and how it can be used. It is intended to be read by all people in the water sector and shows how water reuse is safe, economically viable, environmentally friendly and can provide high social benefits.
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