Investigation the role of industry in polluting the groundwater aquifers (case study: Ardabil aquifer, Northwest of Iran)

A large part of water consumption in the world, especially in drinking part, provided from the groundwater resources. In many cases, groundwater pollution, is diagnosed when the decontamination of the aquifer is almost impossible. So the protection of water quality is very important issue. One of the best ways to prevent contamination of groundwater is to identify the areas vulnerable to pollution and also operational management of water resources and land use. In this study, in order to assess contamination of Ardabil aquifer, one of the most important aquifers in northwest of Iran, several wells were sampled near the industrial centers. Changes in quality parameters of groundwater resources and identify areas that are vulnerable to contamination is the main objective of this research. Results indicate that water quality of studied wells for most parameters of heavy metals is much higher than standard limits, especially lead, iron and selenium that require specialized investigations