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Groundwater Contamination in Urbanized Areas

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Guest Editor
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
Interests: hydrogeology; groundwater; geostatistics
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Guest Editor
Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050061, China
Interests: evolution of groundwater chemistry; assessment of groundwater quality; environmental geochemical behaviors of arsenic in soil-groundwater systems; remediation techniques for groundwater pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Groundwater is the most abundant freshwater resource available on Earth. It plays a crucial role in our livelihoods, by supplying drinking water and by providing food security through groundwater-fed irrigation. Nowadays, more than 2.5 billion people depend solely on groundwater. In many places, however, the use of these precious groundwater resources is restricted because of contamination. For example, urbanization has grown rapidly in recent decades. At present, more than 4 billion people live in urban areas globally. Groundwater contamination occurs in these urbanized areas due to the illegal discharge of sewage, inappropriate disposal of solid waste, and so on. As a consequence, groundwater quality in these areas deteriorates, and groundwater-related diseases lead to the deaths of thousands of people every year.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, focusing on the impacts of anthropogenic factors on the quality of the groundwater environment. It is within the scope of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, covering aspects of environmental geology as well as environmental science and engineering.

This Special Issue aims to advance the understanding of the distribution, sources and transport of groundwater contamination in urbanized areas worldwide. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Heavy metal contamination in groundwater in urbanized areas;
  • Sources and driving mechanisms of groundwater contamination in urbanized areas;
  • Distribution and sources of groundwater organic contaminants;
  • Transport of contaminants such as heavy metals, nitrate and organic contaminants in urbanized areas.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Liangping Li
Prof. Dr. Guanxing Huang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • groundwater contamination
  • anthropogenic factors
  • transport of contaminants
  • urbanized areas
  • groundwater quality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4074 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the LNAPL Migration Process in the Vadose Zone under Two Different Media Conditions
by Rui Zuo, Xiao Zhao, Jie Yang, Minghao Pan, Zhenkun Xue, Xiang Gao, Jinsheng Wang and Yanguo Teng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11073; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111073 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2337
Abstract
This study focused on the processes of free infiltration, precipitation displacement, and natural attenuation of the LNAPL under the condition of near-surface leakage. Sandbox experiments were performed to explore the migration characteristics of LNAPL in the vadose zone with two media structures and [...] Read more.
This study focused on the processes of free infiltration, precipitation displacement, and natural attenuation of the LNAPL under the condition of near-surface leakage. Sandbox experiments were performed to explore the migration characteristics of LNAPL in the vadose zone with two media structures and the influences of the soil interface on the migration of LNAPL. The results indicate that the vertical migration velocity of the LNAPL infiltration front in medium and coarse sand was 1 order of magnitude higher than that in fine sand and that the LNAPL accumulated at the coarse–fine interface, which acted as the capillary barrier. Displacement of precipitation for LNAPL had little relationship with rainfall intensity and was obviously affected by medium particle size, where coarse sand (40.78%) > medium sand (20.5%) > fine sand (10%). The natural attenuation rate of the LNAPL in the vadose zone was related to the water content of the media; the natural attenuation rate of fine sand was higher. This study simulated the process of the LNAPL leakage from the near surface into the layered heterogeneous stratum, improved the understanding of the migration of the LNAPL under different stratum conditions, and can provide support for the treatment of LNAPL leakage events in the actual site. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Contamination in Urbanized Areas)
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20 pages, 2289 KiB  
Article
Spatial Analysis of Groundwater Hydrochemistry through Integrated Multivariate Analysis: A Case Study in the Urbanized Langat Basin, Malaysia
by Nur Fatihah Mohamad Zainol, Azim Haziq Zainuddin, Ley Juen Looi, Ahmad Zaharin Aris, Noorain Mohd Isa, Anuar Sefie and Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115733 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4234
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and industrial development in the Langat Basin has disturbed the groundwater quality. The populations’ reliance on groundwater sources may induce possible risks to human health such as cancer and endocrine dysfunction. This study aims to determine the groundwater quality of an [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization and industrial development in the Langat Basin has disturbed the groundwater quality. The populations’ reliance on groundwater sources may induce possible risks to human health such as cancer and endocrine dysfunction. This study aims to determine the groundwater quality of an urbanized basin through 24 studied hydrochemical parameters from 45 groundwater samples obtained from 15 different sampling stations by employing integrated multivariate analysis. The abundance of the major ions was in the following order: bicarbonate (HCO3) > chloride (Cl) > sodium (Na+) > sulphate (SO42−) > calcium (Ca2+) > potassium (K+) > magnesium (Mg2+). Heavy metal dominance was in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > As > Hg > Pb > Ni > Cu > Cd > Se > Sr. Classification of the groundwater facies indicated that the studied groundwater belongs to the Na-Cl with saline water type and Na-HCO3 with mix water type characteristics. The saline water type characteristics are derived from agricultural activities, while the mixed water types occur from water–rock interaction. Multivariate analysis performance suggests that industrial, agricultural, and weathering activities have contributed to groundwater contamination. The study will help in the understanding of the groundwater quality issue and serve as a reference for other basins with similar characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Groundwater Contamination in Urbanized Areas)
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