Nitrate pollution in groundwater is a serious water quality problem that increases the risk of developing various cancers.Groundwater is the most important water resource and supports a population of 5 million in Anyang area of the southern part of the North China Plain. Determining the source of nitrate pollution is the challenge in hydrology area due to the complex processes of migration and transformation. A new method is presented to determine the source of nitrogen pollution by combining the composition characteristics of stable carbon isotope in dissolved organic carbon in groundwater. The source of groundwater nitrate is dominated by agricultural fertilizers, as well as manure and wastewater. Mineralization, nitrification and mixing processes occur in the groundwater recharge area, whereas the confined groundwater area is dominated by denitrification processes.
