Water is essential to survive and groundwater plays an important role in supplying water to rural areas. Over time, however, groundwater quality has deteriorated due to anthropogenic activities such as agricultural run-off, excessive fertilizer use and industrial pollution. In particular, high nitrate levels in groundwater raise concerns about whether the water is safe to drink. This research aims to determine the nitrate concentrations in groundwater wells used for irrigation in areas with intensive agricultural activities in the Kırşehir region and to evaluate the suitability of these waters for agricultural irrigation. Additionally, the spatial distribution of nitrate pollution levels and the effects of precipitation patterns were analyzed. Well water was sampled seasonally in January, April, July and October from 2015-2019. The analysis results were evaluated within the framework of the Regulation on protection of waters against nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. In addition, the spatial distribution of nitrate pollution at various locations in the region was modeled using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation. Between 2015 and 2019, the lowest nitrate concentration 0.01 mg L⁻¹ was observed in the Eldelekli and Toklumen wells, whereas the highest value 302.16 mg L⁻¹was recorded in 2019 at the Pınarkaya and Acıöz wells in the Mucur district. During this period, nitrate concentrations ranged widely between 0.01 and 302.16 mg L⁻¹, indicating that agricultural activities and seasonal conditions had a significant impact on groundwater quality in the region. The study evaluated groundwater nitrate data obtained from multiple monitoring points in relation to annual precipitation amounts. This study highlights the importance of sustainable water management practices by identifying areas at risk of groundwater quality deterioration. It also emphasizes the significance of considering climatic factors, particularly precipitation, in water quality assessments.
Kıymaz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.