Analysis of Groundwater Contamination Level in Residential Areas Around Cipayung Landfill Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Landfill sites are subjected to long-term risks of accidental spill of leachate through the soil and consequential contamination of the groundwater. Wide areas surrounding the landfill can seriously be threatened with possible consequences to human health and the environment. Given the potential impact of different coexisting anthropic pollution sources (i.e., agriculture and cattle farming) on the same site, the perturbation of the groundwater quality may be due to multiple factors. Therefore, it is a challenging issue to correctly establish the pollution source of an aquifer where the landfill is not isolated from other anthropic land uses, especially in the case of a karstic coastal aquifer. The present study is aimed at setting in place an integrated environmental monitoring system that included microbiological, chemical, and isotope methods to evaluate potential groundwater pollution in a landfill district in the south of Italy located in Murgia karstic aquifer. Conventional (microbial plate count and physical–chemical analyses) and advanced methods (PCR-ARISA, isotope analysis of δ18O, δ2H, 3H, δ 13C, δ 15N-NO3−, and δ 18O-NO3−) were included in the study. Through data integration, it was possible to reconstruct a scenario in which agriculture and other human activities along with seawater intrusion in the karst aquifer were the main drivers of groundwater pollution at the monitored site. The microbiological, chemical, and isotope results confirmed the absence of leachate effects on groundwater quality, showing the decisive role of fertilizers as potential nitrate sources. The next goal will be to extend long-term integrated monitoring to other landfill districts, with different geological and hydrogeological characteristics and including different sources of pollution, to support the ecological restoration of landfills.

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UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: an example for the stability analysis of a mountain rock debris slope

Salvini,

Beltramone,

De Lucia

et al. 2023

J. Mt. Sci.

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This paper describes scientific research conducted to highlight the potential of an integrated GPR-UAV system in engineering-geological applications. The analysis focused on the stability of a natural scree slope in the Germanasca Valley, in the western Italian Alps. As a consequence of its steep shape and the related geological hazard, the study used different remote sensed methodologies such as UAV photogrammetry and geophysics survey by a GPR-drone integrated system. Furthermore, conventional in-situ surveys led to the collection of geological and geomorphological data. The use of the UAV-mounted GPR allowed us to investigate the bedrock depth under the detrital slope deposit, using a non-invasive technique able to conduct surveys on inaccessible areas prone to hazardous conditions for operators. The collected evidence and the results of the analysis highlighted the stability of the slope with Factors of Safety, verified in static conditions (i.e., natural static condition and static condition with snow cover), slightly above the stability limit value of 1. On the contrary, the dynamic loading conditions (i.e., seismic action applied) showed a Factor of Safety below the stability limit value. The UAV-mounted GPR represented an essential contribution to the surveys allowing the definition of the interface debris deposit-bedrock, which are useful to design the slope model and to evaluate the scree slope stability in different conditions.

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Analysis of Groundwater Contamination Level in Residential Areas Around Cipayung Landfill Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Electrical and Electromagnetic Prospecting for the Characterization of Municipal Waste Landfills: A Review

Electrical and Electromagnetic Prospecting for the Characterization of Municipal Waste Landfills: A Review

Microbial, chemical, and isotopic monitoring integrated approach to assess potential leachate contamination of groundwater in a karstic aquifer (Apulia, Italy)

UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: an example for the stability analysis of a mountain rock debris slope

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