Abstract

PEINADO-GUEVARA, Héctor José et al. Quality and suitability of the agricultural and domestic water use of the Sinaloa river aquifer, coastal zone. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2011, vol.21, n.1, pp.63-76. ISSN 0188-8897.

The Guasave valley, Sinaloa is mainly agricultural. There are rural communities that supply water for domestic use from local wells. Economic and social activities occurring on this valley demand water, so that water extraction has shifted to the coastal zone. For this reason, it is important to know the natural mechanisms that control the water chemical composition, its quality, its impact on the ground and its temporal variation in response to its suitability for agricultural or domestic use. To determine the mechanism controlling the water chemistry, the Gibbs diagram was used and it was found that the dominant mechanism is evaporation-weathering. Regarding the domestic use of water, PHASECH quality index was used, finding that water quality is only acceptable near the Sinaloa river. Concerning the suitability for agricultural water use, Wilcox diagram was employed and only 48% the water in the area was classified from good to admissible. Regarding the risk of soil salinization or sodification, the salinity diagram of the U. S. Department of Agriculture was used and it was observed that 35% of the water was located in the C3S1 area. The interrelationship between total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity of water was EC = 1.65 TDS. In addition, it is concluded that the Sinaloa river aquifer is highly sensitive to salinity due its coastal character and the presence of evaporitic bodies far away from the coastline, therefore the threat of saltwater intrusion during a dry period is latent. The presence of the Sinaloa river is an important recharging element that keeps groundwater in suitable conditions for agriculture and very close to those required for domestic use.

Keywords : quality index; anions and cations; SAR; Wilcox; total dissolved solids.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )