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The impact of wastewater irrigation on the chemical quality of groundwater
Author(s) -
Paruch Adam M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/wej.12064
Subject(s) - groundwater , irrigation , wastewater , chemical oxygen demand , environmental science , organic matter , total dissolved solids , environmental engineering , nutrient , water quality , environmental chemistry , total suspended solids , chemistry , agronomy , ecology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology , engineering
The purpose of this investigation was to assess the groundwater impact of irrigation with industrial wastewater (baker's yeast wastewater, BYW ) and to determine if agricultural reuse can be considered as an efficient wastewater treatment method. The impact of the irrigation and the status of the groundwater quality were determined using chemical parameters that are typical contaminants of BYW and characterise the content of total suspended solids ( TSSs ), organic matter (biochemical and chemical oxygen demands), nutrients ( N org , N‐NH 4 , N‐NO 3 , N total , P total and K ), salts ( Cl , SO 4 and Na ) and pH . The study revealed that BYW irrigation did not cause a significant increase in the content of these parameters in groundwater at a low water table region ( WTR ). However, at a high WTR , the irrigation had an extremely significant ( P < 0.001) impact on the chemical status of groundwater that has been demonstrated by substantially high values of COD , N‐NH 4 , Cl , SO 4 and Na .