Monitoring of spatial and temporal hydrochemical changes in groundwater under the contaminating effects of anthropogenic activities in Mersin region, Turkey.

The development of groundwater resources for water supply is a favored way in Turkey. The Berdan alluvial aquifer in Mersin is particularly productive, but little is known about the natural phenomena that govern the groundwater quality and the contamination sources in this region. During 2001 and 2002, water samples for chemical analysis were obtained from 27 wells and from two points of Berdan River and analyzed by ICP. Main chemical characteristics of sampled groundwater define two aquifers, which were also determined by hydrogeological investigations. The groundwater produced from some of the wells was affected by anthropogenic activities temporally and spatially by seawater intrusion. Berdan River is polluted with the wastewater discharges and river water also influences the groundwater quality.