Groundwater Protection Using Vulnerability Maps and Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA): A Case Study in Mexico

The need to protect groundwater resources against quality deterioration due to anthropogenic activities is unquestionable. The concept of aquifer pollution vulnerability maps and of wellhead protection areas (WHPA) as protection tools is not new; however, in spite of the elapsed time, their use has been increased as a result of the increase in economic development–and everything that this entails–and the increase in prohibitive costs of treating contaminated water or of the decontamination of aquifers. The study's objective was to establish an integrated method that defines, first of all, the areas of highest vulnerability in the aquifer, and second, within these areas, the wells that most urgently need protection. To identify these wells, additional criteria were taken, such as well constructive data, pumped volume, and the region's socioeconomic characteristics (social exclusion index). Once the wells were ranked, several of them were chosen as a pilot study to compare different methods for the delineation of WHPA based on calculated fixed radius and analytical methods and, this way, identify which method or methods best adapt to the characteristics of the study area. The Minkin analytical method proved to offer the best results since it protects well on both sides and achieves a balance in the well's upgradient distances. It is also worth mentioning that the delimitation of the WHPAs in the study area was limited in respect to hydrogeologic and technical data.