DISTRIBUTION AND CHEMICAL SPECIATION OF SOME ELEMENTS PRESENT IN SUPERFICIAL AND GROUND WATER IN LINARES NUEVO LEON (NE MEXICO)

The study area for the present work lies in the region of Linares, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, which is already contaminated due to several pollution sources. The study area covers an approximated area of 36 km2 and is located in the eastern periphery of the City of Linares, between 2747000 m - 2750000 m N and 444000 m – 448000 m E (UTM) at an elevation of 351 m.a.s.l. The main sources for infiltration of contaminants in the study area include the Pablillo River, which is located in the SW-NE direction. The residual waters from domestic, municipal, industries, have a direct hydraulic connection as the area is dominated by alluvial and shale deposits, which are dominant with fractured aquifers. An old municipal landfill is located at the eastern city limits, where solid wastes from domestic and industrial wastes were deposited during 1980-2001. On the western side of old municipal landfill intense activity is being carried out without any environmental measurements from the porcine farms, which affect the groundwater. In the Linares area, grinding and deposition is made via barite industry, which generates leachates and precipitates in the region. A channel next to the Pablillo River is located in the suburban area of La Petaca, mainly consists of effluents through human waste, which enters the porous aquifer in this region. The groundwater and superficial water from the region of Linares, Nuevo Leon, Mexico is polluted through a number of sources. The PHREEQC program was used for hydrogeochemical modeling in the present study. The chemical species also provide information about the mobility and availability of some kind of metals, especially those that produce pollution problems. The study of chemical species of a particular element in soil and water is quite important in order to understand its environmental geochemistry, as well as the pollution sources that affect a particular region. The purpose of this study is to determine if there exists a direct influence with local geology over the main contaminants quantified in previous studies; this is done by determining the distribution and chemical species of some elements in the groundwater and superficial water. In addition, the possible environmental negative effects of these pollutants are revised.