Hydro-geochemistry of the Asadabad plain, West of Iran: Application of statistical methods

Groundwater is basically known to be an essential source for drinking and agricultural uses. Therefore, the study of water resources is of great significance to manage its quality and control related pollutions. There are various ways to survey the quality of groundwater among which the statistical methods like cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) are widely used. In this paper, a new method is introduced to determine aquifer hydrochemistry in the areas with similar quality characterization. After analyzing water samples in the laboratory, as the first step, the factor analysis was performed to determine the main factors controlling hydrochemistry. For example, the weathering of the carbonic rocks was determined as the primary factor to be used in the suggested statistical method in Asadabad study area. Then, the parameters were changed by rating them in new classes from 1 to 3. Finally, all samples with the new quantitative rates are plotted on a four-dimensional graph to differentiate hydrochemical zones. All samples in each hydro-chemical area were compared based on ionic ratios to ensure reliability of the results. The results showed that the new statistical method has the capability for zoning samples with comparable hydrochemistry features. These findings will help in the efficient use of water sources for various human activities, saving money and time.