Mechanisms of arsenic contamination of a surfacial aquifer in Turkey

In this study, possible sources of extremely high concentrations of arsenic (reaching as high as 561.5 μg/L) in the shallow groundwater of Simav plain, Turkey is studied in order to understand probable mechanisms of contamination. It has been found out that the major source of arsenic in groundwater is arsenic containing geological formations in and around the vicinity of the plain. However, this otherwise-contained arsenic in lower strata is mobilized by the help of geothermal fluid that is present underneath the tectonically active faulty graben zone. Overexploitation of groundwater in surfacial aquifer is also found to be a factor effective in high levels of arsenic in water supply wells. Furthermore, the uncontrolled disposal of the wastes an abandoned Cu-Pb-Zn mine that also contains lenses of arsenic and antimony is another mechanism of arsenic contamination in the surface and subsurface waters of the plain. Further research is currently under way to characterize the details of arsenic in the area.