Hydrochemical investigations for delineating salt-water intrusion into the coastal aquifer of Maharlou Lake, Iran

Groundwater quality depends on different factors such as geology, lithology, properties of aquifer, land use, the physical condition of boundaries etc. Studying these factors can help users to manage groundwater quality. This study deals with the groundwater quality of an aquifer located in the southeastern part of Maharlou salt lake, Iran. This lake is located in the southeast of Shiraz and is the outlet of Shiraz sewages. Due to overexploitation of groundwater from the aquifer, the gradient of water table is from the lake towards the aquifer and therefore, saline water migrates to the aquifer. The phenomenon of salt water intrusion contributes to the deterioration of groundwater. In this research, groundwater types, maps of iso EC and iso ions, ion exchange in the mixing of fresh and salt water, salinity variation of the groundwater in the profile of well water column, and the salinity-time variation of the groundwater were studied. The gradual increase of the salinity of groundwater with depth from top to down in the aquifer indicates that salt water is located under fresh water. The time variation of physical and chemical parameters in the groundwater discharged from a well shows that the saline water in the bottom of the aquifer moves upward and destroys the quality of groundwater in the study area. Furthermore, Sachoun geological formation formed by evaporate deposits and evaporation from shallow groundwater are two other factors which decrease the groundwater quality.