21 / 2023-12-18 01:54:20

Evaluating Influence of the Balance of Hydrogeochemical Constituents on the Sustainable Use of Water from San Diego Confined Aquifer, Venezuela, in the Period 2015 – 2018

hydrogeochemical constituients,sustainable use,confined aquifer,tropical aquifer

The present work aims to analyze and interpret the constituents or hydro-geological, physical and chemical parameters of the San Diego aquifer, to characterize it and determine its influence on the sustainable use of groundwater for supplying the population that inhabits the San Diego municipality, Carabobo State, Venezuela. The San Diego municipality covers most of the aquifer area. It is an area of high urban development that currently requires groundwater supply due to the deficit of the main supply associated to the Central Regional System. The aquifer is a set of geological strata located within the limits of the San Diego River basin, which is capable of storing groundwater and transmitting it. Data on lithology, porosity, pumping level were investigated, which allow to calculate an estimate of the volume of available water in the aquifer. Regarding water quality, data on hardness, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, conductivity, calcium, magnesium, pH, show that the water towards the center and north of the aquifer is of good quality, while towards the extreme south,  this is of lower quality, where the mineral parameters are higher, which is related to probable intrusion of the brackish water of the Valencia Lake. The results of this work have shown that in the basin there is a diversity of hydro-geological conditions of the sub-soil, finding that its lithology and other physical characteristics are not uniform in all the studied sites. Within the variety of properties, it was found that the subsoil, in a vertical path, is characterized by having alternation of permeable, semi-permeable and impermeable strata, concluding that the aquifer comprises a set of semi-confined and confined aquifer layers. Regarding the quality of the water, it is concluded that the extraction and incorporation of groundwater into the local aqueduct networks in the study area, the municipality of San Diego, is feasible, requiring only prior disinfection. The variation over time of the hydrogeological and physical-chemical constituents is not significant, although it is a short period, it implies stable conditions in the hydrology and composition of the aquifer. It is concluded by establishing that the volume of groundwater, its availability, extraction feasibility and its quality make it suitable for urban supply and that the extraction is sustainable. Although a better integrated management must be designed, considering the contribution of the Center's Regional System and the adaptation of the distribution networks.