Aquifer vulnerability changes due to faults and riverbeds in Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico

Abstract

Subsidence due to pumping in Salamanca, Mexico causes faults and fractures that introduce pollutants into the groundwater. The local aquifer is the only source of water supply for Salamanca. The Lerma river receives untreated urban and industrial wastewaters. The Aquifer Vulnerability Index, AVI, is shown to be more sensitive to the fault than to the riverbed.