Investigation of spring water quality in the Natuv catchment, Palestine: a component for the regional environmental management system

Abstract

Groundwater quality indicators were mapped and integrated with spatial information about the surrounding environment for groundwater protection management. Three sampling campaigns were conducted at 17 springs in the Natuv surface water basin in Western Ramallah/Palestine (48 samples). The samples were analyzed for physico–chemical parameters: major ions, trace elements, and total and fecal coliform bacteria. Analyses included physical parameters pH, temperature, and EC, and concentrations of chemical constituents Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^–, HCO₃^–, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2–. Results were used in a regional water-quality trend assessment and the spring water was found to be polluted in the springs located inside the populated areas. Relationships between different hydrochemical parameters reflect the carbonate nature of the western aquifers. Spring water in the study area is found to be circum neutral to slightly alkaline with average pH ranging from 6.4 to 8.3 and the EC values ranging from 410 to 1307 μS/cm. The average concentrations of anions and cations in all water samples are within WHO standards, with the exception of calcium in some samples. Some samples contain concentrations of trace elements Co, Zn, Sr, Mn, B, Al, Cu, Fe, and Ba, above WHO standards. Hydrochemical analyses show that most springs in the study area have a water type of Ca–Mg–HCO₃⁻. New measurements were uploaded along with historical water quality data to the online mapping and data management system myObservatory, where they could be added to, accessed, and analyzed by multiple users including decision-makers in the study area.