Pollution Risk in Agricultural Areas of the Huaquechula Sub-Basin

Authors

  • Julio Cesar Flores-Cesareo Colegio de Postgraduados
  • Angel Bustamante-González Colegio de Postgraduados https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0727-9505
  • Benito Ramírez-Valverde Colegio de Postgraduados
  • Adriana Delgado-Alvarado Colegio de Postgraduados https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1815-8936
  • Francisco J. Escobedo Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28940/terralatinoamericana.v43i.2174

Keywords:

accumulation, pollutants, risk, Puebla, rivers, soil

Abstract

The impact of river water pollution on irrigated agricultural production systems is related to the accumulation of pollutants in the soil. The main objective of this study was to perform a spatial analysis of Nexapa River pollution and the risk it poses to agricultural lands near the river. The WASP model was used to simulate the transport and concentration of total nitrogen, nitrate, total phosphorus, cadmium, chromium, and lead in the Nexapa River. A spatial analysis was performed using the model estimates and the land-use and vegetation map to identify the agricultural areas most at risk of contamination from wastewater discharges. The highest pollutant concentrations estimated with the model were: total nitrogen (20.04 mg L-1), nitrate (7.03 mg L-1), total phosphorus (2.80 mg L-1), cadmium (0.002 mg L-1), chromium (0.085 mg L-1), and lead (0.009 mg L-1). Two areas of greatest risk to contamination associated with the use of water from the Nexapa River were identified: one in southern Atlixco and the other in northern and southern Izúcar de Matamoros. A limitation of the modeling was the unavailability of point source discharge data and the lack of access to discharge facilities for wastewater sampling; therefore, samples were taken at the river discharge sites. This study is pioneering in river modeling in the Puebla Valley. It is concluded that the WASP model is a useful tool for analyzing the spatial and temporal dynamics of pollutant concentrations in the Nexapa River and for predicting potential contamination risk areas and the need for intervention measures in the Huaquechula sub-basin.

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Author Biographies

Julio Cesar Flores-Cesareo, Colegio de Postgraduados

Estudiante de Doctorado en Ciencias. PROEDAR. Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Puebla

Benito Ramírez-Valverde, Colegio de Postgraduados

Profesor Investigador Titular. Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Puebla.

Adriana Delgado-Alvarado, Colegio de Postgraduados

Profesora Investigadora Titular. Colegio de Postgraduados

Francisco J. Escobedo, Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture

Investigador. Servicio Forestal de Estados Unidos.

Published

31-07-2025

How to Cite

Flores-Cesareo, J. C., Bustamante-González, A., Ramírez-Valverde, B., Delgado-Alvarado, A., & Escobedo, F. J. (2025). Pollution Risk in Agricultural Areas of the Huaquechula Sub-Basin. REVISTA TERRA LATINOAMERICANA, 43. https://doi.org/10.28940/terralatinoamericana.v43i.2174

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Scientific Papers

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