Characteristics and Causes of Changing Groundwater Quality in the Boundary Line of the Middle and Lower Yellow River (Right Bank)

Abstract

The alluvial plain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is an important agricultural production base that affects groundwater quality. Groundwater quality in the region is related to the residential and production uses of water by local residents. Samples of shallow groundwater and river water were collected from the right bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River to determine the evolution and causes of hydrochemical characteristics, and the relationship between the hydrochemical evolution of river water and groundwater was explored. The results showed that the shallow groundwater in the area received lateral recharge from the Yellow River water. The closer to the Yellow River the groundwater was, the higher the SO42−, Cl−, and Na+ concentrations and the lower the HCO3− and Mg2+ concentrations were. Agriculture and aquaculture has influenced and complicated the hydrochemical types of shallow groundwater in recent decades. The groundwater in the area was jointly affected by water–rock interactions and evaporation concentrations; a strong cation exchange effect was detected. Arsenic exceeded the limit in some shallow groundwater, which was mainly distributed in the Yellow River alluvial plain and caused by the reductive sedimentary environment of the Yellow River alluvial plain. The “three nitrogen”, NH4+-N, NO2−-N, and NO3−-N, demonstrated sporadic local excesses in shallow groundwater, which were related to human activities, such as aquaculture.