Evaluation of groundwater and treated sewage effluent quality for irrigation in Saudi Arabia [electronic resource].

Includes reference.

Comparative study was conducted to evaluate the quality of secondary treated sewage effluent (TSE) and groundwater of Riyadh region. Water samples from each type of water were collected from three sites at the four different seasons. EC of groundwater was significantly higher than TSE. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na+, Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻, of groundwater was significantly higher than TSE. Both irrigation waters had low amount of NH₄₊ - N, NO₃⁻ N, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu which below the levels recommended for water quality. Bacterial populations of Daryiah and Waseel sites did not show any significant differences, however, their counts were significantly higher in Ammaryah site. There were no significant differences between groundwater and TSE in their content of bacteria, although TSE contained higher numbers of bacteria than groundwater has. Fungal counts were significantly higher at Daryiah site as compared with the other sites. In contrast, the highest density of streptomycetes was recorded at Waseel site. Fungal and streptomycetes counts were significantly higher in groundwater than TSE.

Summary in Arabic.

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