Access to clean water has gained great importance, especially
in
urban areas, in connection with drought within the framework of climate
change. This study was carried out with hydrogeochemical investigation
in a district of İzmir, the 3rd largest city of Turkiye, which
contains economic natural ore deposits (Sb, Hg, and Pb-Zn). The heavy
metal content of groundwater has great importance in and around the
ore deposits for health risk assessments (HRA) and water quality index
(WQI) interpretations. Groundwater samples in the study area were
taken from different units such as gneiss, marble, schist, and alluvium.
The electrical conductivity of water varies between 466 and 2720 μS/cm.
The waters are of NaCaHCO3 and CaNaHCO3 water
types. Silicate and carbonate weathering were seen in the waters taken
from gneiss/schist and marble/alluvium, respectively. Al, Ni, and
Sb values of groundwater exceeded the drinking water standards. Sb
concentrations can reach 967 ppb, and all waters are oversaturated
with Sb(OH)3. It is thought that Sb mixes with groundwater
along faults from mineralization zones. According to the WQI, the
groundwater is not suitable for drinking. If the presence of ore deposits
is neglected in the WQI, water that is dangerous for drinking is incorrectly
considered ″drinkable″. The HRA was calculated for Al,
Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sb, and Zn parameters. The hazard coefficient of Sb
is more than 1 for adults and children. The most striking effect of
Sb compounds is that they disrupt the heart rhythm and cause irreparable
damage to the nervous system.