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Evaluation of surface water and groundwater contamination in a MSW landfill area using hydrochemical analysis and electrical resistivity tomography: a case study in Sichuan province, Southwest China

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Abstract

As a primary disposal mean of municipal solid waste in China, the landfill has been recognized as one of the major threats to the surrounding surface water and groundwater environment due to the emission of leachate. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of leachate on the surface water and groundwater environment of the region of the Chang’an landfill, which is located in Sichuan province, China. The surface water and groundwater were sampled for hydrochemical analysis. Three electrical resistivity tomography profiles were conducted to evaluate the impact of leachate on the groundwater environment, and several laboratory tests were carried out to build the relationship between the soil bulk resistivity and the void fluid resistivity. The results showed that a seasonal creek named Longfeng creek, which crosses the landfill site, was contaminated by the leachate. The concentrations of COD, BOD5, and chlorides (Cl) of surface water samples increased by 12.3–105.7 times. The groundwater quality in the surface loose sediments along the valley deteriorated obviously from the landfill to 500 m downstream area. The laboratory tests of soil samples indicated that the resistivity value of 13 Ωm is a critical value whether the groundwater in the loose sediments is polluted. The groundwater at the site adjacent to the spillway in the landfill was partially contaminated by the emission of leachate. The groundwater contamination zones at 580 m downstream of the landfill were recognized at the shallow zones from 60 m left bank to 30 m right bank of Longfeng creek. The improved understanding of groundwater contamination around the landfill is beneficial for the landfill operation and groundwater environment remediation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 41402268). This work was supported by the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of Technology) (no. 2007DA810083). The authors acknowledge the constructive and detailed comments of the reviews and Editors toward improving this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of Technology), 1#, Dongsanlu, Erxianqiao, Chengdu, 610059, People’s Republic of China

    Chengpeng Ling & Qiang Zhang

  2. Chengdu University of Technology, 1#, Dongsanlu, Erxianqiao, Chengdu, 610059, People’s Republic of China

    Chengpeng Ling & Qiang Zhang

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  1. Chengpeng Ling
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Correspondence to Qiang Zhang.

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Ling, C., Zhang, Q. Evaluation of surface water and groundwater contamination in a MSW landfill area using hydrochemical analysis and electrical resistivity tomography: a case study in Sichuan province, Southwest China. Environ Monit Assess 189, 140 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5832-7

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