Groundwater pollution potential evaluation in Khorramabad-Lorestan Plain, western Iran

Abstract

Assessing the vulnerability of groundwater contamination is an important issue in water resource management. Currently, due to the increased activity in agriculture and the use of chemical fertilizers, contamination potential assessment in the Khoraramabad-Lorestan Plain has become very critical. In the present study, groundwater pollution potential is evaluated using two frameworks, namely DRASTIC and SINTACS. For this purpose, seven hydrogeological factors (i.e., groundwater depth, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, unsaturated zone impact, and hydraulic conductivity) are imported to DRASTIC and SINTACS models. Then, using the overlapping method, these seven parameters are combined to prepare a final map. According to these methods, most of the high pollution potential areas are in the north and northwest plains covering an area of 50.49 km2 in the DRASTIC framework and 65.49 km2 in SINTACS model. Zones with less pollution potential are in the southern part of the plains. To verify the results of the two models, a vegetation map of the area was used, which shows that the area with the greatest contamination potential corresponds to the agricultural irrigated lands where chemical fertilizers are commonly applied.