GROUNDWATER QUALITY AND ITS SUITABILITY FOR DRINKING AND AGRICULTURAL USE IN A RURAL AREA FROM CLUJ COUNTY (FLORESTI VILLAGE)

In the present study, a hydrochemical investigation was conducted in a rural area from Cluj County, Romania, in order to determine the chemical composition of groundwater and to evaluate if the investigated water sources can be used for drinking or agriculture purposes. Several groundwater samples were collected from fifteen wells in order to analyze the major dissolved ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F- , Cl- , Br- , NO2 - , NO3 - , PO4 3- and SO4 2-). The analyzed waters proved to have a low level of sodium (0.27 - 41.87 mg/l), magnesium (0.11 ? 25.17 mg/l), calcium (0.59 ? 117.30 mg/l), chloride (3.33 ? 97.68 mg/l) and sulphate (4.42 ? 132.80 mg/l), and a high level of potassium (0.22 ? 22.59 mg/l), nitrites (detected only in one sample - 1.36 mg/l), nitrate (6.58 ? 92.96 mg/l), fluoride (0.24 ? 1.40 mg/l) and phosphate (12.44 ?18.26 mg/l). The possibility of using these waters for agricultural purposes has been assessed by calculating the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The results of the present study indicate that the use for agricultural purposes of some of the analyzed groundwater represent no threat for vegetation, as the SAR level was lower than 3.0.