Using Kriging, Cokriging, and GIS to Visualize Fe and Mn in Groundwater

• Main Author: Johnson, Crystal
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2015
• Subjects: Iron; Manganese; ArcGIS; Kriging; Buncombe County; Geospatial; Environmental Monitoring; Geochemistry; Geographic Information Sciences; Geography; Geology; Hydrology; Water Resource Management
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2498; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3881&context=etd

For aesthetic, economic, and health-related reasons, allowable concentrations of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) found present in drinking water are 0.3 mg/L and 0.05 mg/L, respectively. Water samples taken from private drinking wells in the rural communities within Buncombe County, North Carolina contain amounts of these metals in concentrations higher than the suggested limits. This study focused on bedrock geology, elevation, saprolite thickness, and well depth to determine factors affecting Fe and Mn. Using ArcGIS 10.2, spatial trends in Fe and Mn concentrations ranges were visualized, and estimates of the metal concentrations were interpolated to unmonitored areas. Results from this analysis were used to create a map that delineates the actual spatial distribution of Fe and Mn. The study also established a statistically significant correlation between Fe and Mn concentrations, which can be attributed to bedrock geology. Additionally, higher Fe in groundwater was concentrated in shallower wells and valley areas.