Spatial distribution of groundwater quality in connection with the surrounding land use and anthropogenic activity in rural areas

Water quality is essential for ensuring humane living conditions for inhabitants around the world. In this context, an important aspect that must be taken into consideration is the water quality in rural areas. Special attention must be given in such cases due to a large number of possible pollution sources, from industrial or agricultural, to wastewater resulted from human use of water supplies. This paper provided valuable information on the status of a number of groundwater sources (60 wells) throughout Targoviste Plain, Romania. An extended study of the spatial distribution of groundwater quality in connection with the surrounding land uses was achieved. The results obtained using fluorescence spectroscopy have been completed by chemical studies in order to better establish the influence of nearby land use on well water quality. It was concluded that external influences, such as soil type or land use, had a significant effect on the chemical content of the shallow groundwater that supplied the wells. High concentrations of different pollutants found in shallow groundwater are determined by anthropogenic activities, industrial an agricultural, conducted in rural villages and their surrounding areas. High concentrations of humic-like organic matter (OM) were observed in a sparsely populated region, with a forest located nearby, thus evidencing a terrestrial input to the water system. On the other hand, in the region where the highest concentration of protein-like OM was registered, the land was used for agricultural purposes.