Guidelines to locate and protect high-quality groundwater in Baiyu Mountain area of China

摘要

The Baiyu Mountain area has the most shortage of water in the Ordos Basin of China. The majority of the groundwater is in the Luohe water-bearing formation, which is characterized by high total dissolved solids (TDS). The concentration of TDS can be as high as 10.45 g/l, which makes the water unsuitable for either potable or irrigation purpose. The dominant ions in the groundwater are (SO42-Cl-)-Cl-.. The maximum concentrations of SO42- and Cl- are 3,170 and 3,830 mg/l, respectively. The areas with low TDS groundwater are in Jingbian and Zhidan counties. However, nitrogen pollution caused by human and agriculture activities is a significant threat to the protection of fresh water in these counties.