Town/City:

Mar del Plata

State/Province:

n/a

Country:

Argentina

Latitude/Longitude:

38 S 57 W

Information supplied by

Dr Daniel E. Martinez

demarti@uni-mdp.edu.ar

Centro de Geologia de Costas y Cuaternario
Casilla de Correo 722 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina

+54 23 753150

Dated Tue Jul 2 14:31:53 1996

Information Topics:

City Description:

600,000 inhabitants (rise to 1,500,000 during summer) Character: Sea side resort, fishing Industry: fishing, metallurgy, textile. Landuse: intensive farming, horticulture.

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Climate:

Semi-humid, four well defined seasons, average rainfall 850 mm/year (mostly in spring and summer), evapotranspiration (Thornthwaite' s method) 720 mm/year. Annual average temp. 13.5 C, minimum mean in July 7 C, average high in February 19.2 C.

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Basic Hydrogeology:

Paleozoic (Ordovician) quarzites. Overlying the quarzites 70-150 meters of a sedimentary silt and sandy-silt sedimentary sequence of Upper Tertiary and Quaternary age. The main aquifer is a multilayer unconfined sandy-silt Pleistocene sequence. Tansmisivity about 700 to 1200 m2/day.

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Water Use:

n/a

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Groundwater Issues:

Groundwater quality: groundwater evolves from calcium-bicarbonate water with 500 mg/l TDS to sodium-bicarbonate waters with 1200 mg/l TDS.

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Groundwater Problems:

Groundwater problems:
1) saltwater intrusion due to the overexplotation. 50 wells were salinized in a 15 km2 area in downtown.
2) Difuse contamination source: the farming area. High nitrate levels (100-200 mg/l) in shallow wells in the horticultural area. Pesticides (lindane, heptachlore) detected in some points.
3) A multipoint source with a diffuse effect: cesspools in the marginal belt of the city; nitrate levels 80-160 mg/l.
4) Point sources: solid waste disposal areas in periurban sectors.
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Solutions:

Solutions: Successful recovery of levels and groundwater quality in the salinized area as a result of the redesign of the exploitation area.

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References and Other Author(s):

1) Bocanegra, E.M., D.E.Martinez, H.E. Massone & J.L.Cionchi, 1993.   
Exploitation effect and Salt water Intrusion in the Mar del Plata 
Aquifer, Argentina. In Custodio & Galofre eds.: Study and 
Modelling of Saltwater  Intrusion into Aquifers: 177-191. 
Proceedings of the 12th. SWIM, CIMNE,  barcelona.

2) Martinez, D.E., E.M. Bocanegra, H.E.Massone & J.L. del Rio, 1993.  
Groundwater Impact of an Urban Soliid waste Disposal Area in Mar del      
Plata, Argentina. Nath & L.Candela eds.:II Intern. Conference on  
Environmental Pollution, Proceedings, Vol 1: 232-239. Sitges, Spain.
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Contacts:

Ing. E.M. Bocanegra
Dr. Daniel E. Martinez (E-mail: demarti@uni-mdp.edu.ar)
Lic. Hector Massone (E-mail: hmassone@uni-mdp.edu.ar)
Postal address: Centro de geologia de Costas y Cuaternario
Casilla de Correo 722
7600- Mar del Plata, Argentina
T.E. : 54 23 754060 - FAX: 54 23 753150

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