Hydro geochemical study of groundwater in eastern part of Vellar River, Chidambaram Taluk, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu

An integrated approach based on hydro geochemistry was adopted in order to establish the quality oriented utilization of groundwater in study area which is situated in the northern side of Chidambaram Town. The study area falls on the banks of the Vellar River represented by sedimentary terrain composed of alluvial sands, clay, and sands. The thickness of the top clay layer is about 4 to 6 m followed by sandy clay and sand. Seventeen groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for major and minor ions. In general, groundwater is colorless and odorless. The majority of the groundwater samples are suitable for drinking and domestic purpose. The aquifer chemical facies study reveals that in the cation plot, most water samples falls in calcium-magnesium facies type and few samples fall in calcium-sodium facies type, whereas in the anion plot chloride-sulfate-bicarbonate facies type is observed. In few places, the concentration of chloride exceeds the maximum limit which indicates the influence of natural anthropogenic effect. Samples also indicate natural contamination and anthropogenic influence. The USSL plot for irrigation shows most samples are affected by water-soluble salts in the soil. All groundwater samples falls within the class I category of permeability and thus reflect that the groundwater is good and suitable for irrigation. The groundwater hydrogeochemistry of the region is dominantly controlled by the local geochemical factors. © 2021, Saudi Society for Geosciences.