HYDROGEOCHEMISTRY AND QUALITY OF SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER IN THE WADI BU ASH SHAYKH AND ZALLAH AREAS, SIRTE BASIN, NORTH CENTRAL LIBYA

The present study aimed to perform a geochemical evaluation of surface water and groundwater in the Wadi Bu Ash Shaykh and Zallah areas, Sirte Basin, north central Libya. The chemical data include pH, TDS, TH, K, Ca, Na, Mg, Cl, HCO3, SO4, NO3, F, Li, Sr, B, I, and Br. Based on the Piper diagram, the majority of the water samples are of the NaCl Type. Three types of water are identified by the TDS values: brackish, saline, and hypersaline. The LSI indicate that most samples are saturated with CaCO3. The water samples are unfit for human consumption, as evidenced by the drinking water quality indices (PI and WQI). Moreover, the irrigation parameters (pH, TDS, TH, Na, Cl, HCO3, F, Li, B, Na%, SAR, RSC, MAR, LDP, KR, PI, PS, (Ca+Mg)/(Na+K), and (Ca+Mg)/Na) suggest that the water samples are not appropriate for irrigation.