Contaminación de las aguas subterráneas vertientes a la Ría de Huelva

Resumen

The Ría of Huelva is an estuary deeply affected by industrial, and principally, mining pollution. There exist two main aquifers which water flows to the Ría of Huelva, the Ayamonte-Huelva and the Almonte-Marismas aquifers. We have studied the groundwater quality of these aquifers. Results show that the Almonte-Marisma aquifer is deeply contaminated by nitrates from strawberry irrigation farming, with the maximum contents (above WO mg/l) in the zone next to the Ría of Huelva between Moguer and Palos de la Frontera. In the Almonte-Marismas aquifer exists another zone with low nitrate contents, between Moguer and Lucena del Puerto, probably due to the fact that the agricultural activities are more recents. The Ayamonte-Huelva aquifer presents much lower nitrate contents than the Almonte-Marismas aquifer, and only locally the contents are higher than 50 mg/l. The trace metal concentrations are similar in both aquifers and do not seem to be affected by the agricultural activities.