Design of a monitoring network as a participative management tool: physical and chemical quality of groundwater in three sub-basins in the Central Valley of Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15359/ru.33-1.4Keywords:
monitoring network, groundwater quality, Barva aquifer, Colima, nitrates, land useAbstract
The groundwater of the Barva, Upper Colima, and Lower Colima aquifers, located in the western part of the Central Valley of Costa Rica represents the main source of drinking water in this region. The purpose of this study was to design a monitoring network to evaluate groundwater quality in these aquifers within the sub-basins of the Bermúdez, Ciruelas and Río Segundo rivers, and to encourage the participation of stakeholders. Five proposed sites exceeded, in between two and four occasions, the Alert Value of 25 mg/l nitrate as NO3-. These sites, which capture water from the Barva aquifer, were located in areas where urban use and coffee crops predominated. The sites that collected water from this aquifer with the lowest concentrations, below 2 mg/l, were found in the upper sub-basins, where forest and pastures predominate, while those that collected water from the Colima aquifers showed concentrations below 20 mg/l. At least semi-annual monitoring of electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, nitrates and chlorides is recommended. The operation of these networks provides an opportunity for monitoring groundwater quality by stakeholders at basin level as one of the first steps in developing sustainable management of this resource.
References
Andrade, A. and Navarrete, F. (2004). Lineamientos para la aplicación del enfoque ecosistémico a la Gestión Integral del Recurso Hídrico (Guidelines for the application of an ecosystemic approach to the Integrated Management of Water Resources). México D. F., México: Red de Formación Ambiental. Serie Manuales de Educación y Capacitación Ambiental 8. PNUMA.
AyA/MINAE/MS. (2016). Política Nacional de Saneamiento en Aguas Residuales 2016-2045 (National Wastewater Treatment Policy 2016-2045). San José, Costa Rica. ISBN 978-9977-62-153-1.
Baran, N. and Gourcy, L. (2013). Sorption and mineralization of S-metolachlor and its ionic metabolites in soils and vadose zone solids: Consequences on groundwater quality in an alluvial aquifer (Ain Plain, France). Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 154: 20-28. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.07.009
BGS/SENARA. (1985). Mapa hidrogeológico del Valle Central de Costa Rica [Hydrogeological map of the Central Valley of Costa Rica]. Bradford, England: ESR Limited,. British Geological Survey, Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas.
BGS/SENARA. (1988). The continuation of hydrogeological investigations in the north and east of the Valle Central, Costa Rica. Final Report 1984-1987. British Geological Survey Technical Report WD/88/13R. San José, Costa Rica: British Geological Survey, Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas.
Castro, R.; Monge, E.; Rocha, C. and Rodríguez, H. (2004). Gestión local y participativa del recurso hídrico en Costa Rica (Local and participatory management of water resources in Costa Rica). Revista de Educación Ambiental Biocenosis, 20(1-2), 36-45.
Eaton, A.; Clesceri, L.; Greenberg, A. and Franson, M. (1995). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Washington, D. C.: American Public Health Association (APHA).
Foster, S. and Gomes, D. (1989). Monitoreo de la calidad de las aguas subterráneas: una evaluación de métodos y costos (Monitoring of groundwater quality: an evaluation of methods and costs). CEPIS/OPS/OMS. Accessed at: http://www.bvsde.paho.org/eswww/fulltext/repind46/monito/monito.html
Foster, S.; Hirata, R. and Andreo, B. (2013). The aquifer pollution vulnerability concept: aid or impediment in promoting groundwater protection? Hydrogeology Journal, (21), 1389-3922. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-013-1019-7
Foster, S.; Hirata, R.; Gomes, D.; D´Elia, M. and Paris, M. (2007). Protección de la Calidad del Agua Subterránea [Protection of Groundwater Quality]. Washington, D. C.: World Bank.
Foster, S.; Hirata, R.; Gomes, D.; D´Elia, M. and Paris, M. (2002). Groundwater Quality Protection: a guide for water utilities, municipal authorities, and environment agencies. Washington, D. C.: World Bank. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-4951-1
Gómez, A. (1987). Evaluación del potencial de los acuíferos y diseño de las captaciones de agua subterránea en la zona de Puente de Mulas, provincia de Heredia, Costa Rica. (Degree thesis) (Evaluation of the potential of the aquifers and design of groundwater capture in the Puente de Mulas area, province of Heredia, Costa Rica). Universidad de Costa Rica, Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, San José.
Gómez-Cruz, A.; Núñez-Solís, C.; Madrigal-Solís, H. and Calderón-Sánchez, H. (2014). Mapa de vulnerabilidad hidrogeológica del cantón de Barva (Hydrogeological vulnerability map of the canton of Barva). Technical report. Heredia, Costa Rica: Universidad Nacional.
GWP. (2013). Guía para la aplicación de la Gestión Integrada del Recurso Hídrico (GIRH) a nivel municipal (Guide for the application of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) at the municipal level). Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Global Water Partnership.
Kulkarni, H.; Vijayshankar, P. S.; Deolankar, S.B. and Shah, M. (2004). Groundwater demand management at local scale in rural areas of India: a strategy to ensure water well sustainability based on aquifer diffusivity and community participation. Hydrogeology Journal, 12, 184-196. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-004-0320-x
Madrigal-Solís, H.; Fonseca-Sánchez, A. and Reynolds-Vargas, R. (2017). Caracterización hidrogeoquímica de los acuíferos volcánicos Barva y Colima en el Valle Central de Costa Rica (Hydrogeochemical characterization of the Barva and Colima volcanic aquifers in the Central Valley of Costa Rica). Revista Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 8(1), 15-132. Doi: https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2017-01-09
Madrigal-Solís, H.; Fonseca-Sánchez, A.; Núñez-Solís, C. and Gómez-Cruz, A. (2014). Amenaza de contaminación del agua subterránea en el sector norte del acuífero Barva, Heredia, Costa Rica (Threat of groundwater contamination in the northern sector of the Barva aquifer, Heredia, Costa Rica). Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 5(6), 109-118.
Programa Estado de la Nación. (2005). Undécimo Informe Estado de la Nación en Desarrollo Humano Sostenible (Eleventh Report of the State of the Nation on Sustainable Human Development). San José, Costa Rica: Programa Estado de la Nación.
PRUGAM. (2008). Cartografía 1: 10 000, Uso de la Tierra Gran Área Metropolitana (Cartography 1: 10,000, Land Use in the Greater Metropolitan Area). Project for the Mapping of Land use at a scale of 1: 10,000 for the GAM of Costa Rica. Elaboration of digital cartography and orthophotos. Costa Rica: PRUGAM.
Ramírez, R. and Alfaro, A. (2002). Mapa de vulnerabilidad hidrogeológica de una parte del Valle Central de Costa Rica (Hydrogeological vulnerability map of a part of the Central Valley of Costa Rica). Revista Geológica de América Central, 27, 53-60.
Ramos, V. (2001). Análisis de la vulnerabilidad a la contaminación de los recursos hídricos subterráneos de un sector al noreste del Valle Central, Costa Rica. (Licencitura thesis). (Analysis of the vulnerability to contamination of the underground water resources of a sector northeast of the Central Valley, Costa Rica). Universidad de Costa Rica, Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, San José Costa Rica.
Reynolds-Vargas, J. (1997). Evaluación de los recursos hídricos en Costa Rica: disponibilidad y utilización. Informe final (Evaluation of water resources in Costa Rica: availability and use. Final report). Heredia, Costa Rica: Centro Científico Tropical / Centro Internacional en Política Económica para el Desarrollo Sostenible.
Reynolds-Vargas, J.; Fraile, J. and Hirata, R. (2006). Trends in Nitrate Concentrations and Determination of its Origin Using Stable Isotopes (18O and 2H) in Groundwater of the Western Central Valley, Costa Rica. Revista Ambio, 35(5), 229-236.
Rodríguez, H. (2002). Características hidrogeológicas y físicas del acuífero Barva. Costa Rica. Informe final (Hydrogeological and physical characteristics of the Barva aquifer. Costa Rica. Final report). Laboratorio de Hidrología Ambiental. Heredia, Costa Rica: Universidad Nacional.
Tuinhof, A.; Foster, S.; Kemper, K.; Garduño, H and Nanni, M. (2006). Requerimientos de monitoreo del agua subterránea para manejar la respuesta de los acuíferos y las amenazas a la calidad del agua (Groundwater monitoring requirements to manage the response of aquifers and threats to water quality). Washington D. C., EE. UU.: World Bank. Global Water Partnership. Accessed at http://ponce.sdsu.edu/Banco_Mundial_GWM_Briefing_9_sp.pdf.
Ureña, N.; Jiménez, F.; Reynolds-Vargas, J.; Jones, J. and Prins, C. (2006). Efectos del aumento poblacional y del cambio de uso del suelo en los recursos hídricos en la microcuenca del río Ciruelas, Costa Rica (Effects of population increase and changing land use on water resources in the microbasin of the Ciruelas River, Costa Rica). Revista Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, 48, 75-80.
Van den Brink, C.; Frapporti, G.; Griffioen, J. and Jan Zaadnoordijk, W. (2007). Statistical analysis of anthropogenic versus geochemical-controlled differences in groundwater composition in The Netherlands. Journal of Hydrology, 336, 470-480. Accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.01.024
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors guarantee the journal the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors can set separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, place it in an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
3. The authors have declared to hold all permissions to use the resources they provided in the paper (images, tables, among others) and assume full responsibility for damages to third parties.
4. The opinions expressed in the paper are the exclusive responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the editors or the Universidad Nacional.
Uniciencia Journal and all its productions are under Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0 Unported.
There is neither fee for access nor Article Processing Charge (APC)
