Evaluation and spatialization of physical-chemical parameters in groundwater in the northeastern Piauí river basin, Brazil

Abstract

Water with high concentrations of dissolved salts used for irrigation can generate salinization and/or sodification problems in the soil. Such effects can be felt in the study area, so this work seeks to evaluate the quality of groundwater and estimate the occurrence of these parameters by interpolation for the water of 15 tubular wells, distributed along the Piauí River Basin in southern Sergipe. The Electrical Conductivity parameters were determined by the electrometric method and the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺cations by ionic chromatography. It was observed in the northwest portion of the basin that most of the waters have restrictions on use due to the risks of salinization and sodification, especially in the municipality of Simão Dias, only 20.0% of the waters do not present any type of risk, related to the portions coastal areas of the basin. Spatially, the regions located in the central-coastal portion have water with better quality standards in relation to all variables studied, the application of kriging reflected the influence of the distribution of different types of soil and climatic conditions. Such results can help in the creation of more efficient management plans that guarantee a better quality of soils and water used for irrigation in this region.