Groundwater quality mapping based on the Wilcox Classification method for agricultural purposes: Qazvin Plain aquifer case

Abstract

Water quality is an essential component in managing surface and groundwater resources and for various uses; it is considered a necessary principle in planning. This study aims to map the groundwater quality of the Qazvin Plain aquifer in Iran for agricultural use based on the Wilcox classification method. For this purpose, the parameters of electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of wells in the years 2015-2018 have been used. For interpolation, the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method with optimal power and Kriging geostatistical techniques were used based on spherical, exponential, and Gaussian semicircle algorithms. Electrical conductivity and SAR maps were drawn in the GIS platform after selecting the best interpolation method due to minor errors. The Wilcox method was used to classify the water quality of the studied wells. In most cases, the IDW method with optimal power was selected as the superior interpolation method. During the study, the results obtained from the water quality maps showed that the level attributed to the "high salinity" water class increased from 25.98 to 36.44, and the level attributed to the "slightly salty" water class decreased from 12.54 to 3.14. Finally, the results showed that the quality of underground water for agricultural purpose in the Qazvin Plain aquifer became more unfavourable during the studied period

Keywords

• Irrigation water quality
• Optimal Power
• Kriging
• Semi-variograms
• Quality classification

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