Premium
NITRATES IN RURAL WELLS OF THE SENEGAL RIVER BASIN 1
Author(s) -
Gould Michael S.,
Healey Marcus J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1981.tb03929.x
Subject(s) - nitrate , hydrology (agriculture) , structural basin , environmental science , water well , drainage basin , period (music) , geology , groundwater , geography , chemistry , geomorphology , physics , geotechnical engineering , cartography , acoustics , organic chemistry
A survey of 34 open hand dug wells was performed in the Senegal River basin of West Africa. Nitrate concentrations were determined on the well water samples over a six‐month period. With the exception of two wells, the wells indicated varying levels of nitrate contamination. The range of concentrations was 0.10 to 880 mg/I as nitrate. These data when compared to physical characteristics, land use, and age using a chi‐square analysis did not suggest any strong association. The fact that these wells are open and in a semiarid climate may be of such importance that the previously considered factors are of minor relative importance. Contamination may be primarily the result of foreign matter entering the well mouth.