Simulation of Calcium concentration in groundwater resources (Case study: Birjand aquifer)

Water, as a major natural resource, is a basic human need and a valuable asset in the absence of which no activity will be sustainable for socio-economic development. In arid areas, groundwater resources are more important and priority given the lack of surface water resources. In addition to the importance of groundwater quantity, its quality is very important and is a direct function of human activities. Groundwater pollution by various types of organic matter and mineral compounds is one of the most common environmental problems today. These pollutants travel with groundwater and will therefore contaminate groundwater resources. Therefore, groundwater pollution is a common threat due to the destruction of groundwater quality and the poisoning of water used by humans. In the present study, MT3D numerical model was used to simulate groundwater quality in Birjand aquifer. Modeling for calcium concentration has been done in 5 years from October 2007 to September 2012. In the calibration step, the error values ​​ME, MAE and RMSE were obtained as 2.147, 6.556 and 9.304 mg / l, respectively. The measured model has been validated using the available information for the next 5 years. The results of the qualitative model showed the appropriate matching of the observational and computational values ​​of calcium concentration.