Wastewater Characteristics and the Impact of its Use in Irrigation on Soil: The Case of Faria Catchment

The use of untreated wastewater in irrigation is a common practice in several countries such as Palestine. Since decades, Palestinians in many locations used raw wastewater for irrigation due to several reasons that include: (i) shortage of freshwater resources that can cover there domestic and agricultural needs, (ii) the Israeli control of the available freshwater resources, (iii) the wastewater is of costless value and (iv) the absence of enforceable regulations. that restrict the use of wastewater in irrigation. Faria Catchment, Palestine is a representative example of the use of untreated wastewater in agriculture. The goal of this research is to investigate and analyze the quality-related parameters of the wastewater used in irrigation in Faria Catchment. These parameters include pH, EC, Cl-, NO3-N, TP, Mg+2, Ca+2, hardness, HCO3 -, Zn+2, K+, Cu+2, BOD5, Na+, SAR and turbidity. A second objective of this research is to compare these parameters with the international standards for using wastewater in irrigation. Thereafter, wastewater impacts on selected soil parameters such as pH, texture, accumulation of heavy metals in soil profiles, total carbon and total nitrogen were investigated. Results show that wastewater quality varies spatially and temporally. However, the values of these parameters are extremely above the permissible limits for using wastewater in irrigation. The doses of industrial wastewater result in extreme values in certain parameters such as SAR, EC and Cl-. The use of wastewater in irrigation shows clear effects on the top soil texture, total carbon and total nitrogen amounts and the accumulation of heavy metals in soil profile especially arsenic, cadmium and lead.