Groundwater quality evaluation in the vicinity of the Draa Sfar Mine in Marrakesh, Morocco

The Draa Sfar Mine is one of the main base-metal mines in the region of Marrakesh (Morocco). The residues of the activities of Draa Sfar Mine can be a source of the groundwater pollution due to heavy metals. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical and metallic quality of the groundwater at the vicinity of this mine. In this context, groundwater samples were taken from 17 wells in April 2016. The study was achieved on the following major elements (Cl-, Na+, Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, NO3-, SO42- and HCO3-), Eh, pH, EC and the heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe). The heavy metals results show that all the wells that were examined are under the WHO (2011) standards. From a physicochemical point of view, the study proved that the 17 wells contain a high degree of salinity, especially those located in the downstream of the mine (P10, P11, P12, P13, P15, and P16).