(GIS) to Map Groundwater Quality in the Beaufort West Area, Western Cape, South Africa

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(GIS) to Map Groundwater Quality in the Beaufort West Area, Western Cape, South Africa Application of multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map groundwater quality in the Beaufort West area, Western Cape, South Africa Henok Goitom Solomon A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Magister Scientiae In Environmental and Water Science Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Science, University of the Western Cape. Supervisor: 1Dr. Abdi Mohamoud Siad 1. University of the Western Cape, Department of Earth Sciences, P/Bag X17, Modderdam Road, Bellville, 7535, South Africa November 2013 Application of multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map groundwater quality in the Beaufort West area, Western Cape, South Africa Key words Beaufort West Groundwater Fractured rock aquifers Teekloof Abrahamskraal Calcrete Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Spatial Analysis Hydrogeochemistry Factor Analysis Cluster Analysis Discriminant Analysis Water Quality Page ii Abstract Application of multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map groundwater quality in the Beaufort West area, Western Cape, South Africa H.G. Solomon MSc Thesis, Department of Earth Sciences, University of the Western Cape Groundwater in arid and semi-arid areas like the Karoo region of South Africa is an important source of domestic, agricultural and industrial source of fresh water. As a scarce resource, it requires extensive quality control and protection through innovative methods and efficient strategies. The town of Beaufort West and its vicinity use groundwater as a major source of municipal and private water supply. Forty nine groundwater samples were collected from spatially referenced boreholes located in and around the town of Beaufort West and were analyzed for EC, pH, 2+ 2+ + + - - - 2- TDS, TH, SAR, TA, Ca , Mg , Na , K , HCO3 , Cl , NO3 and SO4 according to SANS 241 standards and tested for ionic balance. The groundwater of the study area was characterized using WHO and South African drinking water quality standards as well as TDS and Salinity hazard classifications. These comparisons and classifications characterized the groundwater of the study area as hard to very hard, with low to medium salinity hazard. These results are in accordance with the 2+ + - - dominance of the ions Ca , Na , HCO3 and Cl in the groundwater samples. Linear relationships between the hydrochemical variables were analysed through correlation and multiple regression analysis to relate the groundwater quality to the underlying hydrogeochemical processes. These linear relationships explained the contribution of the measured variables towards the salinity, hardness and anthropogenic contamination of the groundwater. The groundwater of the study area was also assessed using conventional trilinear diagrams and scatter plots to interpret the water quality and determine the major ion chemistry. The conventional methods highlighted the sources of the hydrochemical variables through analysis and interpretation of rock-water interaction and evaporations processes. To supplement Page iii these conventional methods and reveal hidden hydrogeochemical phenomenon, multivariate statistical analyses were employed. Factor analysis reduced the hydrochemical variables into three factors (Hardness, Alkalinity and Landuse) that characterize the groundwater quality in relation to the source of its hydrochemistry. Furthermore, combination of Cluster (CA) and Discriminant analyses (DA) were used to classify the groundwater in to different hydrochemical facies and determine the dominant hydrochemical variables that characterize these facies. The classification results were also compared with the trilinear diagrammatic interpretations to highlight the advantages of these multivariate statistical methods. The CA and DA classifications resulted in to six different hydrochemical facies that - + are characterized by NO3 , Na and pH. These three hydrochemical variables explain 93.9% of the differences between the water types and highlight the influence of natural hydrogeochemical and anthropogenic processes on the groundwater quality. All the univariate, bivariate, multivariate statistical and conventional hydrogeochemical analyses results were analyzed spatially using ArcGIS 10.0. The spatial analysis employed the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation method to predict spatial distribution of unmeasured areas and reclassification of the interpolation results for classification purposes. The results of the different analyses methods employed in the thesis illustrate that the groundwater in the study area is generally hard but permissible in the absence of better alternative water source and useful for irrigation. November 2013 Page iv Abbreviations and Acronyms μ Micron µg/L Micrograms per Liter µSiemens/cm Micro Siemens per centimeters Al3+ Aluminum ion 0C degree Celsius Ca2+ Calcium ion CA Cluster Analysis CaCO3 Calcium carbonate Cl- Chloride ion CMAP Cumulative Mean Annual Precipitation CO2 Carbon dioxide DA Discriminant Analysis DEM Digital Elevation Model DWAF Department of Water Affairs and Forestry DWA Department of Water Affairs EC Electrical Conductivity EPA Environmental Protection Agency (USA) ESRI Environmental Sciences Research Institute F- Fluoride ion Page v FA Factor Analysis GEOSS Geohydrological and Spatial Solutions GISCOE GIS Centre of Excellence GPS Global Positioning System GRAII Groundwater Resources Assessment II HCA Hierarchical Cluster Analysis HCl Hydrogen chloride solution - HCO3 Bicarbonate ion HNO3 Nitric acid solution IDW Inverse Distance Weighted ILWIS Integrated Land and Water Information System software K+ Potassium ion Km Kilo meters L/min Liters per minute L/s Litres per second m2/day Squared meter per day m Meter mamsl Meters above mean sea level MAP Mean Annual Precipitation MAPE Mean Annual Potential Evaporation Page vi MCL Minimum Contamination Level MDL Minimum Detection Limit meq/L Milli equivalents per Litre Mg2+ Magnesium ion mg/L Milligrams per Litre ml/min Millilitres per minute mS/m MilliSiemens per meter mV Millivolt Na+ Sodium ion - NH4 Ammonium ion Nlc2000 National land cover 2000 - NO3 Nitrate ion R2 Coefficient of determination R Correlation coefficient RMSPE Root Mean Square Prediction Error S Storativity SANS South African National Standard (safety) SAR Sodium Adsorption Ratio SAWQG South African Water Quality Guidelines: Domestic Use SED Squared Euclidean Distance Page vii 2- SO4 Sulphate ion SRTM3 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission 30 m resolution T Transmissivity TA Total alkalinity TDS Total Dissolved Solids TH Total Hardness TZ+ Total Cations USDA United States Department of Agriculture USGS United States Geological Survey UTM Universal Transverse Mercator VIF Variance Inflation Factor WGS World Geodetic System WHO World Health Organization WRC Water Research Commission Page viii Declaration I declare that “Application of Multivariate Statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Map Groundwater Quality in the Beaufort West Area, Western Cape, South Africa” is my own work, that it has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged as complete references. Henok Goitom Solomon November 2013 Signed: …………………………. Page ix Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the NRF for funding the research in its first stage, Mr Louw Smit and the Municipality of Beaufort West for providing crucial data of the study area, and Mr Julian Conrad from GEOSS (custodians of the data) for assisting in data retrieval. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to the people who supported me academically and financially; my family, friends and staff of the Department of Earth Sciences in general and my mentor and supervisor Dr. Abdi M. Siad in particular. I would also like to thank Prof. Lorna Holtman (Division for postgraduate studies) for her support throughout my studies and above all God Almighty, without whom none of this would have been possible. Page x ‘The thesis is dedicated to my parents Mr. Goitom Solomon Haile and Mrs. Belainesh Ghebremichael Hailu’ Page xi Table of Contents Key words .................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ....................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ...................................................................................... v Declaration .................................................................................................................. ix Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... x Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... xii Table of Figures ......................................................................................................... xv List of Tables .......................................................................................................... xviii Chapter I ...................................................................................................................... 1 1. Purpose and scope ............................................................................................ 1 1.1. Research problem 2 1.2 Aim and objectives 2 Aim 2 Objectives 3 2. Introduction
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