WATER QUALITY FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION AND AGRICULTURAL USE OF SOME WELLS IN THE TEXCOCO AQUIFER (1507)

Abstract.

The Texcoco Aquifer (TA) is located in the Valle de México, east of Mexico City. It has an area of 939.04 km2, with more than 2.8 million people and 911 wells. The urban drainage network discharges the water without prior treatment to the main channels of the aquifer's watersheds which, in most cases, are not lined and could be contaminating the groundwater. This paper presents the water quality found in 16 wells distributed more or less homogeneously in the aquifer and located mainly in the urban area, from a study carried out in 2016. The physical, chemical, and biological quality of water for human consumption and agricultural use was determined, in accordance with current Mexican standards. The concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids, Bicarbonate, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Sulfate, Phosphate, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Copper and Zinc, were permissible for both uses in the 16 wells studied. Based on the Cadmium concentration, the water was not suitable for human consumption in 12 wells nor in six for agricultural use; and regarding lead, it was not suitable for human consumption in the 16 wells analyzed but proved suitable for agricultural use. Water did not meet the microbiological quality required for human consumption in eight of the wells analyzed, but was suitable for agricultural use in all the study wells. The results suggest an adequate management of the municipal discharges, such as sewage treatment and lining of the network of superficial channels.