Study of a waste disposal site and it's groundwater contamination potential

Abstract

The choice of an old borrow pit at Avu village in the outskirts of Owerri Urban as the permanent dump for wastes from Owerri Urban is evaluated in terms of the hydrogeology of the site. The depth to the groundwater table or the vadose zone is 9 – 9.5m; the texture of the soils shows fine attenuative materials that can inhibit leachate permeation (x10 -6 cm/s). Quality evaluation of groundwater collected from boreholes nearest to the dumpsite showed that no significant contamination has so far occurred after more than twenty years of co-existence with the un-engineered dump. A well-structured and sanitary landfill would improve the environmental standard of the site.

Keywords: waste, vadose depth, sanitary landfill, hydraulic characteristics, aquifer, pollution

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 1(1) 2005: 21-24