Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 26, 1999 WIT Press, www.witpress.

com, ISSN 1743-3541

Mapping the water quality of the Puelchense

subaquifer in Lujan (Argentina)

F. Momo/^ W Cuevas,^ A. Giorgi,^ M Banchero/^ S.

Rivelli,^ C Taretto,^ A. Gomez Vazquez,^ C Feijoo^
'Programa de Investigation en Ecologia Matematica, Universidad
National de Lujan, CC 221, 6700 Lujan, Argentina
Email: ecologia@mail.unlu.edu.ar
( 'Direction de Bromatologia, Municipalidad de Lujan, J. M. Perez y
Champagnant, 6700 Lujan, Argentina
'Direction de Medio Ambiente, Municipalidad de Lujan, J. M. Perez y
Champagnant, 6700 Lujan, Argentina
* ^Programa de Investigation en Ecologia Acuatica, Universidad
National de Lujan, CC 221, 6700 Lujan, Argentina
^ Division Quimica, Universidad National de Lujdn, CC 221, 6700
Lujan, Argentina

Abstract

The Puelchense subaquifer is used in Buenos Aires province (Argentina) as the

main source of drinking water and, also, for agricultural and industrial activities.
In this work, we look to make a diagnosis of the pollution and the physical,
chemical and microbiological heterogeneity of this groundwater reserve. A
sampling scheme was carried out, taking 100 samples. Total alkalinity, pH,
hardness and total coliform bacteria were measured, as well as the concentration
of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, chloride, sulphate, phosphate, and the heavy
metals chromium and cadmium. By mean of a CIS system, we studied the
relationships between the agricultural practices, industrial presence, land use and
the pollutants isolines. We detected the main sources of groundwater pollution
and evaluate the spatial risk of water quality deterioration in our region. The risk
factors are big urban concentrations, some kind of industries using high
quantities of water (in particular, beer production), and, secondary, fertilisation
by phosphate. We built a water quality index by mean of PC A analysis.
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494 Water Pollution

1 Introduction

Lujan is a city located at Buenos Aires province, in Argentina (figure 1). It is

approximately at 34 30' S, 59 10' W, and has around 70000 people. Near the
city there are other four urban populations: Torres, Open Door, Olivera and,
Villa Flandria, The zone is included in the 'Pampa', a vast grassy plain that
covers central Argentina and is composed of loess, deposited during the
Quaternary Period, and given rich and deep soils that support cattle breeding and
agriculture (Feijo6 et a/.[l]). Owing to the gentle slope of the plain (0.5 %), the
small rivers and streams of the NE of Buenos Aires province run east-wards
towards theriversParana and De La Plata (Sala and Auge[2]).
At this region, the drinking water is obtained from groimdvvater sources.
The water is provided by two aquifers superimposed and lightly connected: the
shallower is the Pampeano, located between 10 and 20 m depth and very polluted
by residuals and wastewater; deeper, between 30 and 120 m, is the Puelchense,
with a very high volume and a growing contamination risk (Sala[3,4,5], De
Felippi et al [6]). The Puelchense has a surface of 83000 knf and stores 300 km*
of water; approximately the 45% of this volume is suitable for human
consumption (Auge y Herndndez[7]).
Water has a major impact on the quality of life. However, in both
developed and developing countries water quality has continued to deteriorate
(Friedman-Huffman and Rose[8], Pebesma and Kwaadsteniet[9]). Inadequate
and unsafe drinking water supplies are a continuing public health problem for
most of the world's populations. Recently (1995) in Lujan, several problems
were detected in relation with the water safety and public health, because several
cases of intoxication by nitrite were reported in Villa Flandria. This fact and the
detection of heavy metals in some samples have convinced authorities of the
necessity of a regional prospecting of the water quality and its deterioration risk.
We carried out this study, sampling the entire region (approximately 1200
knf) and performing several physical, chemical, and biological analyses in order
to diagnose the groundwater quality and to detect sources of pollution and risk
factors.

2 Methods

Samples were taken from private wells at 100 points performing bacteriological
analyses (total coliform bacteria) in order to eliminate those points that show
faecal contamination, because this is an indicator of bad conditions in the well.
Water was analysed within 24 hours of sampling measuring total alkalinity, pH,
hardness, as well as the concentration of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, chloride,
sulphate, phosphate, and the heavy metals chromium and cadmium according to
APHA[10] recommended techniques. In order to perform further statistical
analyses, some variables must be transformed for their normalisation; so we use
the log-transformation for hardness, phosphate, and chloride, and the square root-
transformation for sulphate.
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Water Pollution 495

The correlations between variables were computed and a map was built for
each variable using the linear Kriging method. We also perform a Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) in order to obtain a generic quality indicator given
by thefirstaxis value, which was mapped too.

Figure 1: Position of Lujan city in Buenos Aires Province. The little box shows
the position of Buenos Aires in Argentina

3 Results and discussion

The basic statistics of the main variables are shown in table 1. Only few points
reach values that exceed the legal limits for nitrite and sulphate concentrations
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496 Water Pollution

and hardness. The water quality is good in general terms; however, we can detect
someriskspots as we show below.
Alkalinity has negative correlation with ammonium and nitrite, and positive
correlation with chloride and sulphate (table 2). These two last ions are indicators
of good quality waters. Chlorides probably have been originated from marine
salts transported by the wind The ammonium contents have positive correlation
with nitrite and nitrate concentrations, and these three variables are associated
with bad quality waters.

Table 1. Averages, extremes and standard deviations of variables. Concentrations

are expressed in mg/1. Valid points are those that correspond to samples without
faecal contamination Values with an asterisk are over the legal limits.

Variable Valid Average Minimum Maximum Standard

points deviation
pH 63 7.5084 6.6 8.5 0.3815
Alkalinity 60 432.0713 264.6 540 56.8951
Hardness 63 158.6010 57 440.5* 84.2028
Ammonium 61 11.0657 0 92.7 19.0093
Nitrate 61 32.3334 0.7 97* 21.8725
Nitrite 63 0.0238 0 0.198* 0.0306
Chloride 61 48.9407 9.8 294 55.4497
Sulphate 59 53.2627 0 325 77.9382
Phosphate 42 0.0586 0.005 0.215 0.0377

Table 2. Correlation matrix between variables. A: pH, B. Alkalinity, C:

Ammonium, D: Nitrate, E: Nitrite, F: Log hardness, G: Log phosphates, H: Log
chloride, I: Square root sulphate. * P<0.05

A B C D E F G H I
A 1.00 -14 .06 -.17 18 -.24 .21 .06 .06
B -.14 1.00 -.47* -.33 -.41* .30 -.25 .48* .58*
C .06 -.47* 1.00 .44* .49* -.01 .24 -.04 -.10
D -.17 -.33 .44* 1.00 .20 -.12 -.16 -.28 -.38*
E .18 -.41* .49* .20 1.00 .14 .31 -.03 -.06
F -.24 .30 -.01 -.12 .14 1.00 -.35 .16 .26
G .21 -.25 .24 -.16 .31 -.35 1.00 .21 .02
H .06 .48* -.04 -.28 -.03 .16 .21 1.00 .91*
I .06 .58* -.10 -.38* -.06 .26 .02 .91* 1.00

3.1 Water quality maps and land use

The high concentrations of nitrite (figure 2), nitrate (figure 3), and ammonium
are associated to the Lujan downtown where we have the biggest exploitation. A
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Water Pollution 497

similar pattern is observed in other spot that is linked to a beer factory. Nitrate
concentrations show a light S-N gradient, and ammonium concentrations have a
soft SE-NW gradient. The sources of these pollutants are the Pampeano aquifer,
highly polluted by sewage and the soil fertilisation.
Both, sulphate and chloride have a pronounced E-W gradient and high
values in the Villa Flandria zone. It is important to say that at this city, particular
wells are mainly obtaining water from the Pampeano aquifer.

3.2 Principal Component Analysis

The PCA allow us to reduce the problem dimensionality by mean a linear

combination of all variables considered
The first three axes explain the 70% of the total data variance, and the first
axis rises with sulphate and chloride concentrations and fall with nitrite, nitrate
and ammonium (table 3). In consequence, we can use the values of the first PCA
as a water quality index. Mapping this value (figure 4) we can see that the
downtown and the beer factory are the two patches with the worse water.

Table 3. Factor score coefficients for the first three principal component. The
first component may be used as an indicator of good water quality. The key for
variables is the same that in table 2

A B C D E F G H I
-0.030 0.293 -0.189 -0.204 -0.151 0.124 -0.067 0.247 0.279
-0.250 0.088 -0.253 0.081 -0.305 0.062 -0.373 -0.302 -0.246
-0.310 0.039 0.312 0.292 0.276 0.489 -0.247 0.101 0.135

4 Conclusions

The sources of the Puelchense aquifer pollution in Lujan are the urbanisation
without adequate drinking water and wastewater services, the overexploitation
by industries, and the abuse of soil fertilisation. The use of PCA can help us to
evaluate the risk of deterioration.

Acknowledgements

We thanks to Mr. Julio Barbara by his collaboration in the sampling work.

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498 Water Pollution

Figure 2. Nitrite map. Cities with more than 3000 people are draw in grey. The
main rivers and streams are represented; all of them run from left to right in the
figure. There are two spots of nitrite high values; one, at West, correspond to
downtown and other, at East, to a beer production plant
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Water Pollution 499

Figure 3. Nitrate map. Cities with more than 3000 people are draw in grey. The
main rivers and streams are represented; all of them run from left to right in the
figure. The pattern is similar to the nitrite one
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500 Water Pollution

Figure 4. First principal component map. This value can be considered as a water
quality measure. The worse water quality correspond to downtown and to beer
factory (see text)
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Water Pollution 501

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