Spatial Modelling of Water Quality Parameters Based on Geological Formations

Iran is one of the arid and semi-arid regions of the world with an average annual rainfall of 240 mm. The country is such arid that the average annual rainfall is less than 130 mm (Jafari and Tavili, 2013:149) in 65% of its regions; therefore, it has been facing a water shortage for a long time. Thus, due to the limitation of surface and groundwater resources in the country, particularly arid and semi-arid regions, it is necessary to identify the factors affecting the quality of water resources for protection to reduce the vulnerability of these resources. Among the various factors that cause water quality degradation, the type and material of rocks or geology are crucial in changing groundwater quality (Jehbez, 1994: 1). Accordingly, in this research, the efficiency of the GWR model was measured to determine the sources of water pollution by selecting the Izdakhvat basin as a sample of inland Zagros basin that has good but saline water resources; these areas received the most impact from a particular formation.