Abstract

AZPILCUETA PEREZ, María Elizabeth et al. CHEMICAL QUALITY OF WATER IN AN AGRICULTURAL AREA OF FODDER MAIZE ( Zea mays L.) IN THE COMARCA LAGUNERA, MEXICO. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2017, vol.33, n.1, pp.75-83. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.2017.33.01.07.

The Comarca Lagunera region from Mexico is an agricultural area which makes intensive use of soil and water resources, this latter of high impact due the it´s scarcity. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical quality of irrigation water from deep wells in producing fields of fodder maize in the Laguna region, Mexico. Four samplings were conducted in April, May, June and July 2014. The variables measured were the electrical conductivity (EC) in mS/cm, water hardness in French degrees (ºf), cations Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+ and K+ in meq/L, as well as heavy metals Cd, Pb, and As, in mg/L. The salinity in the Comarca Lagunera measured in terms of EC was from high to very high with values of 1,732 and 3,386 µS/cm; while the sodification expressed in Sodium Absorption Rate (SAR) is in medium level with 3.66 meq/L and water hardness ranged from hard to very hard on average 50.47 and 114.00 ºf, respectively. The highest concentrations of chemical elements in irrigation water from deep well were Ca+2, Mg+2 and Pb, mainly the latter. However Cd and As also, were above of the official norm ((NOM-CCA-032-ECOL/1993), with the consequent risk in the health and environment.

Keywords : chemical of water; cationic elements; heavy metals; chemical contamination.