Determination of the Jouamaa groundwater quality using Physico-chemical water analysis and Geographic Information System

. The present study seeks to determine the water quality of wells located in the Jouamaa Hakama commune (Northern Morocco). In this order, nine water samples were collected from wells used by local residents during two sampling campaigns in December 2016 and June 2017. The samples collection was followed by the laboratory analysis for measuring the water Physico-chemical characteristics including pH, temperature (T°), Conductivity (Cond), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Suspended Matter (SM), Turbidity, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonium and Phosphate. Also, spatial data analysis has been done using Geographic Information System (GIS) by ArcGis software to show a statics map with significant water quality information for the studied wells. The spatial analysis showed higher concentrations exceed the Moroccan groundwater quality values in P6 and P8 for the EC in 2016 and 2017. Similarly, for the turbidity, higher values recorded in P8, while the DO concentration was significant in P6, P8 and P9, other sampling points indicate values close and inferior to water quality standards. P3, P4, and P8 showed higher Ammonium, Nitrite and phosphate values during the summer period of 2017. The analysis results shed light on contamination factors: domestic activities and agricultural activities in urban zones (Hakama and Jouamaa). However, the use of these waters could pose a risk to the health of human and animals. Similarly, The GIS is a practical, innovative and effective tool for the Jouamaa groundwater quality diagnostic and could help decision-makers establish solutions.


INTRODUCTION
Groundwater is a vital source commonly used for irrigation, industrial water supply and drinking water in urban and rural areas. About 50% of drinking water and 43% of the water used in agriculture worldwide come from groundwater [1]. However, the increasing demand for clean water poses a risk to this resource precisely in semi-arid and arid areas [2], where it faces various issues associated with pollution and water quality deterioration [3]. Monitoring and assessing the water quality is crucial as it provides valuable information and data for water management planning associated explicitly with drinking water quality. Different type of materials was found in groundwater and identified as contaminants including pesticides (plant protection products) [4], petroleum hydrocarbons [5], toxic substances (e.g. Heavy metals) [6], radioactive solutions [7], and pathogens [8]. Groundwater and well water cannot be decoupled even if their vulnerability to contamination is different. Wells water can be contaminated by naturally occurring sources or anthropogenic activities. According to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [9], private wells can receive contaminants from human sewage and animal waste (bacteria, virus and parasites), agriculture activities (nitrate and nitrites), and industrial activities (heavy metals, radionuclides and fluoride). Wells water vulnerability to contaminants is governed by contaminant input, persistence and mobility, and technical aspects such as location, design, operation, and construction [10]. Thus, improperly constructed and located wells could be a source of groundwater contamination [11]. Water resources in Morocco suffer from drought and pollution related to human activities such as industrial and agricultural activities [12][13][14]. This continuous increase of human activities leads to groundwater quality deterioration [3], while about 40% of used water for irrigation in Morocco derives from groundwater, contributing approximatively to 75% of vegetable crops and orchard of the country's export. In the Tetouan-Tangier region, groundwater is mainly used to source domestic and agricultural activities, drinking, and animal drinking [15]. Jouamaa located in the north of Morocco near Tangier, precisely in the downstream part of the wastewater discharge of WWTP Chrafate. This WWTP treats wastewater received from the Tanger Automotive City (TAC) industrial zone. The discharges from the STEP are evacuated in Oued Ouljat Echatt [16].
Thus, the present paper aims at determining the wells water quality in the Jouamaa Hakama commune by analyzing the water Physico-chemical parameters and using GIS as a tool, allowing more understanding of the quality indicators spatialization reveals interactions between the various phenomena acting on the functions of this study area.

PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY AREA
The study area, about 17 km far from Tangier, is located downstream of the wastewater discharges treated by the STEP Chrafate, which treats the wastewater from the Tanger Automotive City (TAC) industrial zone. The discharges from the STEP are evacuated in Oued Ouljat Echatt. The wells are distributed along the wadi between the Lambert coordinates: X = 471061, Y = 559489 and X = 475800, Y = 563445 (Fig. 1). The altitudes vary from 37 m at the Ibn Batouta dam to 96 m at the level of the Chrafate WWTP. [16] The study area includes the Ouljat Echatt River as well as several small temporary or torrential tributaries. All the wells are used by the commune residents and the Ibn Batouta dam. From the geology side, the study area is part of the Rif domain of northern Morocco, which containing the flysch aquifers with a few units from the outer Rif [17] [Michard A, (1976)]. In this sector, the Tangier unit represents the outer Rif, which constitutes the substratum of the flysch aquifers. The study zone includes outcrops belonging to the flysch formations, large outcrops of the Tangier predominantly clay unit forming part of the outer Rif, and a few Quaternary formations, especially alluvial.
[18] (Yassir T. et al., 2016). The study region is characterized by two seasons, one dry and hot and the second, wet and cold, longer than the first [19] [El Gharbaoui A, (1981)]. The climate is the sub-humid Mediterranean with a humid and mild winter and a dry and hot summer lasting five months, from May to September [20] (KARROUK, 1990). The area takes advantage of the combined influence of two maritime facades (the Mediterranean and the Atlantic) and records an average rainfall of around 765 mm per year [21] (ACHAB, 2011). [22] (Nabil RIFA, 2013).

Sampling and sampling sites
Nine wells used by residents for their daily water needs ( Figure 2) situated along the Ouljat Echatt wadi were chosen and positioned using GPS to collect and analyze the quality of their waters. (Figure 3). The groundwater samples were collected during two sampling campaigns in December 2016 and June 2017. The sampling was carried out by using polyethene bottles. The containers were priory washed by distilled water and dried to avoid the contamination of the sample, and then each bottle was rinsed with the water to be analyzed before being used [23]; they were numbered before sampling [24].

Physico-chemical parameters analyzed
In order to study the wells water quality, the samples were analyzed to determine the Physico-chemical parameters of each sample, including pH, T °, DO, COD, BOD5, SM, Turbidity, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonium and Phosphate. The analysis was performed according to Rodier's water quality assessment techniques and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Moroccan standard.
The pH, T° and electrical conductivity analysis were performed in situ just after retrieving the samples to avoid any contamination or change of the parameters of the sample. Other chemical parameters were determined in the Laboratory of Chemistry Unit (LPMSE) laboratory at the University of Abdelmalek Essaadi Tangier, Morocco. Table 1 presents all the parameters measured for each sample and the used analytical methods, standards, and parameters.

Data spatialization (GIS)
The Physico-chemical characteristics of the water wells characterization obtained were integrated into GIS using ArcMap 10.2.2 for mapping the distribution of the analyzed parameters to do a spatial treatment and show the non-conform wells sites according to the national norms.

RESULTS
The exploitation of the results is based on comparing our analysis data carried out on well water samples with Moroccan and WHO standards. The Physico-chemical quality of the water provides information on the location and assessment of a level of pollution based on a set of parameters based on reference values [42] [28].

pH, T°, Cond
The pH values of the waters of the wells analyzed appear slightly acidic in 3 wells and slightly basic in the other wells during the summer period, and basic for all the wells during the winter. The obtained values fluctuate between 6.82 and 8.05. Therefore, our results situated in the range of water intended for human consumption, 6.5 <pH <8.5 (WHO). Similar values were found in a study carried out in Tangier-Tetouan in 2014 by [30].
The temperature (T°) of water plays an important role in controlling the chemical composition of groundwater. [41]. In our study area, the results obtained showed that the temperatures do not exhibit significant variations, with a minimum of 18.80 ° C and a maximum of 20.  [36] found in Sefrou at the Sidi Bouali source lower values that were varied between 17 ° C and 18 ° C. The Cond designs the mineralization level of water to indicate the ionic concentration and appreciates the amount of salts dissolved in the water. The electrical conductivity measured for the nine samples shows values ranged from820 and 3250 μS / cm, as shown in Figure 3.
The electrical conductivity exhibited high P6 and P8 wells values, with a maximum value recorded in the well 8 (3250 μS / cm). According to the Moroccan water standards, 22% of our water samples collected from the study area wells are very strongly saline as the values found for Cond (<2700 μS / cm) classify the waters of the Jouamaa Hakama site as poor quality while the other wells are classified as moderate quality according to this characteristic. These higher values of electrical conductivity can be related to the human activities pressures on these aquifers, including agriculture and the use of fertilizer and pesticides, which can contribute to the increase of water salinity. It was reported in Davidson and Wilson 2011 that when the EC is higher in shallower wells, this is mainly due to a combination of land use increase and aquifer processes, while in deeper wells, the higher Cond values reflect a natural process of aquifer reaction. This result appears to be comparable to that reported by Belghiti in the Meknes well water (2013) [25], while Bouderka found values ranging between 770 and 9890 in the groundwater of Lgharb (Morocco) [26].

Turbidity, dissolved oxygen and SM
The turbidity measured in water samples retrieved from the studied wells varies from one well to another. The values range from 1.25 to 20.1 FNU (Figure 4), exceeding the regulation limit (1,5 FNU), which seems linked to heavy rainfall, direct discharges, or disturbance of the river bed. Laghzal, 2014 study carried out in the Tangier region [31] showed lower concentrations, which meet the quality standards of water intended for human consumption.
In the study site, there are significant variations between the different sampling stations. The value of the Suspended Matter (SM) contents (Table) shows a peak at P2, which reaches 130 mg/l (well P2), but which remains below the value admissible by Moroccan standards [42].

Ammonium (NH4+)
The ammonium is present in the prospected wells, with content varying between 0.331 mg/L and 0.569 mg/l (Fig. 6). The values of some wells are slightly higher than the Moroccan standards values. In general, the obtained values are inferior and close to the value of the standards for drinking water/human consumption (0.5 mg/l) as they do not exceed 0, 57 mg/l recorded in P4.
Our finding is in good accord with the results found in the Tangier-Tetouan region through analyzing water springs (Laghzal et al., 2014). Fig.6. Ammonium concentrations measured in water samples.

Nitrites and Nitrates
Nitrites

Phosphates
Orthophosphates most often have an urban origin (components of detergents) or agricultural (leaching of fertilizers). It is generally known that variations in phosphate concentrations constitute the limiting element of eutrophication phenomena [29]. If they exceed the standards, these are regarded as an indication of faecal contamination leading to a proliferation of germs, taste and colouring [28]. Indeed, this parameter is generally subject to special monitoring. A high phosphate content can indicate agricultural pollution following the leaching of fertilizers and depends mainly on the geological nature of the substratum [36]. Phosphate

CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVES
Groundwater contamination is a primary concern for stakeholders, decision-makers and managers of water resources.
The present study carried out on nine wells situated at the Jouamaa Hakama site to evaluate their water quality by determining the Cond, T°, DO, Turbidity, COD, DBO5, phosphate, Nitrite, Nitrate and Ammonium. Almost all the higher concentrations were recorded in the sampling locations situated in urban zone Hakama, which lets us conclude that water contamination in this area is mainly due to urban activities and agriculture activities.
GIS tool can help decision-makers for preserving and protecting groundwater in planning and managing these natural resources.
This work has shown result remains worrying in human and animal health. To improve the Jouamaa Site wells water quality, it is recommended to program additional field studies and analysis such as bacteriological and heavy metals analysis, and more depth on the Charafate wastewater treatment plant effectiveness and the Tangier Automotive City industrial zones in order to see the conformity industrial status. More studies must be done on the techniques and methods of installing suitable treatment for liquid effluents from agriculture, industrial and urban areas in the region and establishing deep monitoring of the domestic water sanitation network for the urban riparian areas to maintain its balance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank all the collaborators within this work, from the Field sampling, laboratory