Effects of wastewater irrigation on groundwater quality: An overview
Abrahan Mora, Juan Antonio Torres-Martínez, Mariana V. Capparelli, Andrith Zabala, Jürgen Mahlknecht
Abstract
The use of wastewater/reclaimed water for agriculture and landscape irrigation is a common worldwide practice that improves crop productivity and enhances the climatic resilience due to the sustainable use of water. Nevertheless, this activity deteriorates the groundwater quality in areas where it is applied, posing potential risks to ecological safety and human health. This manuscript offers a short overview of the chemical and microbiological pollutants threatening the groundwater quality in zones subjected to intensive and long-term wastewater irrigation, describing the main processes involved in the transport of certain contaminants from the topsoil to the saturated zone.