Abstract

SOTO GALERA, Ernesto; MAZARI HIRIART, Marisa  and  BOJORQUEZ TAPIA, Luis Antonio. Entities of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area prone to suffer ground water pollution. Invest. Geog [online]. 2000, n.43, pp.60-75. ISSN 2448-7279.

Since seventy percent of the water for domestic, industrial and agricultural use in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) derives from aquifer systems located within the Basin of Mexico, it is important to determine the sources of pollutants that may affect water quality. A spatial analysis of the main sources of groundwater pollution was carried out at a municipal and delegation levels, to identify areas prone to contamination. Industries, landfills, fuel storage facilities, drainage systems, gas stations, extraction wells and the urban zone were considered as sources of pollutants. The combination of data on the distribution of sources of pollutants with information regarding the main geological areas underlying the city allowed to determine that most sources of pollutants concentrated at the center of the MCMA, while the highest risk of pollution for the aquifer system was located to the south-west and north of the MCMA.

Keywords : Mexico City Metropolitan Area; sources of pollutants; groundwater; spatial analysis.