Investigation of hydrogeochemical and water quality of Hajilarchai basin and origin of trace elements

Hajilar chai basin located in the western part of varzegan and it may expose to potential of water resources contamination due to placement of Zarrin Dagh Astarkan gold extraction factory in this area. In order to monitor the water sources of the Hajilar chai basin, 12 water samples collected and analyzed in March 2021. The results showed that the concentration of Co, Pb and As are higher than permissible limit of WHO standard for drinking water in some places and probably the source of trace element related to geological formations and water rock interaction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hydrchemical characteristics and source of contamination of water sources using graphical methods, multivariate statistical techniques such as factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. The result of the graphical methods showed that the most of the water samples have bicarbonate calcium dominate type. The result of the factor analysis show that four factors were affecting the quality of water source. The first, third and fourth components result from affecting of formation on water resources and water rock interaction. The second component show evidences of the anthropogenic activities in the study area. Also, hierarchical cluster analysis classifies the data into three categories. The first cluster data have similar geochemical process and less trace element. In second cluster hydrochemcial equilibrium is not established, which is probably due to the impact of factory activities. In third cluster, the concentration of arsenic is high and probably is originated from geological formation.