Evaluation of environmental factors affecting diffuse nitrate pollution in the Chadegan Aquifer (Isfahan Province), using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

Due to water crisis and extreme volume of groundwater extraction throughout Iran, vulnerability assessment of aquifers and water sources management has become one of the essential need of environmental research in Iran. Through various pollutant, nitrate as one of the chemical water pollution index considered from ages. Chadegan aquifer, as one of the main Gavkhoni basins, was selected to study the environmental factors affecting groundwater pollution by nitrate, since the majority of the Chadegan aquifer is subject to a very high degree of human impact. The main goals of this study are 1) to get a better understanding of salinity distribution in the aquifer during last two decades, 2) to find out salinity and nitrate distribution in the Chadegan aquifer and 3) to figure the relative contribution of several environmental parameters (including land use) that are often used in groundwater vulnerability assessment, using principal components analysis (PCA). In this study, at the first, rate of sampling points for each DRASTIC layer and land use determined and then the relative contribution of several environmental parameters affecting groundwater quality of Chadegan obtained using the multivariate principal component analysis. This study showed that salinity level of groundwater vary from 250 to 408 µS/cm. Consistent increasing salinity level of groundwater during last two decades (from 308/5 µS/cm in 1995 to 359/2 in 2016) and presence of higher level of salinity in northern and southern part of the study area in 1995, 2010, 2013 and 2016 compare to central part of the area count as two considerable results of the present study. Concentration of nitrate between 15 and 37 mg/l in 2016 and interaction between intrinsic vulnerability and land use affecting groundwater risk pollution by nitrate in northern and southern parts of the study area take into account as the main findings of this study.