Problem Statement

There are several natural and anthropogenic factors that affect groundwater chemistry. The quality of water is one of the most important features that determines its usability for human needs, such as irrigation, drinking, and industrial. Distinguishing between the natural factors that influence groundwater chemistry is necessary to set up baseline information, which would then be useful to identify potential contamination issues.

Groundwater chemistry is usually reported through graphical representations, in the form of diagrams, such as Piper, Stiff and Gibbs. However, the basics of creating such diagrams and toolset to meaningfully interpret those are not readily available for students. Furthermore, students need a solid foundation of the individual components that make up the basis of water quality to determine whether it can be suitable for human needs.

Module Overview

The module provides an in-depth overview of the factors that govern groundwater chemistry, while equipping students with the tools to describe data through classic graphical tools. The learning activities and multiple choice check questions provided in the module use real data and examples from the field to help students to critically explore the foundations of groundwater quality analysis and assess suitability for human use.