Abstract
Nitrate contamination is a major issue in aquifers that are being
exploited for drinking water. Exceeding regulatory levels of nitrates in
drinking water can cause acute and chronic health problems. In
agricultural areas, aquifers are vulnerable to nitrate contamination due
to the excessive use of fertiliser. This research study investigated the
potential impacts of anthropogenic nitrates on the giant Guarani Aquifer
System (GAS) in Brazil, where nitrogen-based fertiliser use had doubled
from 2005–2016. The study results indicated that there exists two
different systems for the behavior of nitrates in groundwater, above and
below a 150 m depth of the aquifer. For the aquifer depth above 150 m,
Cl- (positive influence) and F- (negative influence) were found to
significantly influence NO3- contamination (p < 0.05).
However, statistically significant relationships between NO3- and other
influential factors were not found for the aquifer depth below 150 m.
Even though agricultural practices do not pose a direct impact on NO3-
contamination of groundwater, it was evident that anthropogenic inputs
of NO3- could elevate the concentrations in the aquifer depth reaching
150 m.