Abstract
The Kingston Basin in Jamaica is an important hydrologic basin in terms of both domestic and industrial sector. The Kingston hydrologic basin covers an area of approximately 258 km2 of which 111 km2 underlain by an alluvium aquifer, 34 km2 by a limestone aquifer and the remainder underlain by low permeability rocks with insignificant groundwater resources. Rapid development in recent years has led to an increased demand for water, which is increasingly being fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. A detailed knowledge of the water quality can enhance understanding of the hydrochemical system, promoting sustainable development and effective management of groundwater resources. To achieve this, a hydrochemical investigation was carried out in the Kingston Basin. Results showed that the water is Na–Ca–Cl–HCO3 and Na–Ca–HCO3 type with higher concentrations of nitrate, sodium and chloride as the leading causes of contamination in most of the wells. High concentrations of nitrate correlate with wells from areas of high population density and could be attributed to anthropogenic causes, mainly involving improper sewage treatment methodologies or leaking sewer lines. Jamaica, owing to its island nature, has the continuous problem of saline water intrusion, and this is reflected in the higher levels of chloride, sodium and conductivity in the water samples collected from the wells. The wells studied show higher concentrations of chloride ranging from around 10.2 mg/l in wells located approximately (4931.45 m) from the coast to around 234 mg/l in the well located near to the coast. The conductivity values also closely correlate with the chloride levels found in the wells.
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Acknowledgments
The authors greatly acknowledge the assistance offered by the Water Resources Authority and National Water Commission of Jamaica for assisting us with the sample collection, Chemistry Department at UWI Mona, Mona Geoinformatix Ltd, Mines and Geology Division, Ministry of Energy, Mining & Telecommunication, in sample analysis and production of population density map of Kingston.
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An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4297-7.
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Mandal, A., Haiduk, A. Hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in the Kingston Basin, Kingston, Jamaica. Environ Earth Sci 63, 415–424 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0835-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0835-5