Hydrogeochemistry and Groundwater Quality in the Vaippar River Basin, Tamil Nadu

This paper intends to assess the water quality with reference to drinking, agricultural and industrial uses in the Vaippar River Basin, TamilNadu. The area is underlain by Precambrian rocks like charnockites, hornblende-Biotite gneisses, granite and crystalline limestones. Recent alluvial deposits occur along the river course and in the coastal region. The groundwater quality data collected from the Public Works Department (PWD), Ground Water Division (GWD), Tamil Nadu, for the year 1999. The data were used to compute chemical parameters as non-Carbonate hardness, sodium absorption ratio, percentage of sodium, residual sodium carbonate, magnesium ratio, corrosivity ratio, chloro alkaline indices and permeability index found to be based on evaluation of the chemical parameters quality of water is fit for drinking, industrial and agricultural uses, except in a few isolated locations. According to Gibb's diagram most of the samples falls under rock dominance. Wilcox's diagram indicates that less than 50 percent of samples fall in excellent to good and good to permissible types. According to the USSL classification of water quality of the samples belong to C5-S1, C5-S2, C5-S3 and C5-S4 classes water are also found in the area which not suitable for irrigation.