Hydrochemistry and bacteriology of western and Saharan spring waters of Algeria

This study presents the physico-chemical and the bacteriological characteristics of 26 spring waters from nine regions (western and Saharan regions) of Algeria: Mostaganem, Mascara, Ain Temouchent, Tlemcen, Saïda, Chlef, Adrar, Bechar and Ghardaia. In total, 26 groundwater samples have been analyzed for major physico-chemical elements and metals. The results show that the water samples exhibit pH values that range between 7 and 8. 1, salinities that range between 216 and 1,082 mg/L, and nitrate concentrations that range between 0. 25 and 47. 5 mg/L. The samples are mainly of the Ca-Na-HCO₃ type. The chemistry of the spring waters results from their contact with carbonate rocks. All the trace metal concentrations are within the admissible standard ranges, except those of Zn and Mn; some spring waters present slightly high values of these metals. The bacteriological analysis of the 26 samples showed that five samples (nos. 1, 8, 12, 13, and 18) are contaminated. We conclude that the groundwater samples may be safely used for drinking, domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes, with the exception of sample nos. 1, 8, 12, 13, and 18. Herein, we employed descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, and principal component analyses to understand the hydrogeochemistry of the spring water in the western and Saharan parts of Algeria.