Ground-water quality in the vicinity of landfill sites, southern Franklin County, Ohio

Abstract

The hydrogeology and ground-water quality in the vicinity of five landfills in southern Franklin County, Ohio, were investigated by use of data obtained from 46 existing wells, 1 seep, 1 surface-water site, and 1 leachate-collection site. Interpretation was based on data from the wells, a potentiometric-surface map, and chemical analyses. Four of the five landfills are in abandoned sand and gravel pits. Pumping of water from a quarry near the landfills has modified the local ground-water flow pattern, increased the hydraulic gradient, and lowered the water table.Ground water unaffected by the landfills is a hard, calcium bicarbonate type with concentrations of dissolved iron and dissolved sulfate as great as 3.0 milligrams per liter and 200 milligrams per liter, respectively.Water sampled from wells downgradient from two landfills shows an increase in sodium, chloride, and other constituents. The change in water quality cannot be traced directly to the landfills, however, because of well location and the presence of other potential sources of contamination. Chemical analysis of leachate from a collection unit at one landfill shows significant amounts of zinc, chromium, copper, and nickel, in addition to high total organic carbon, biochemical oxygen demand, and organic nitrogen. Concentrations of chloride, iron, lead, manganese and phenolic compounds exceed Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Standards for drinking water.Water from unaffected wells within the study area have relatively small amounts of these constituents.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow at the South Well Field, Columbus, Ohio

“…Some of these wells have been destroyed or abandoned. Measurements from October 1979 (de Roche and Razem, 1984) were used as water levels representative of steady-state conditions before municipal pumping was initiated at the well field. A potentiometric surface of the glacial drift aquifer drawn from the October 1979 data is presented in figure 8.…”

Hydrogeology and effects of landfills on ground-water quality, southern Franklin County, Ohio

“…A study by Stowe (1979) discusses the hydrogeology of the Scioto River valley in southcentral Franklin County. A series of U.S. Geological Survey reports by Weiss and Razem (1980), Razem (1983), and de Roche and Razem (1984), discuss the hydrogeology and water quality of the Scioto River valley immediately south of the landfill area.…”

Ground-water levels, water quality, and potential effects of toxic-substance spills or cessation of quarry dewatering near a municipal ground-water supply, southern Franklin County, Ohio

“…Of this group, the following wells or collector-well sites were sampled previously. Based on the relative amounts of common constituents present, ground water in the southern half of the study area is characterized as a hard, calcium bicarbonate type (de Roche and Razem, 1984). With respect to time, the greatest variations in groundwater quality noted were in amounts of total organic carbon, phenol, and dissolved iron.…”

“…The five landfills in the vicinity of the quarry dewatering operations were all constructed in abandoned sand and gravel pits (de Roche and Razem, 1981). A thick unsaturated zone under landfill 5 is a result of quarry dewatering.…”

“…A transient-state model of the same area (Razem, 1983) showed that infiltration through the riverbed would account for 28 to 33 percent of the pumpage of the collector wells. A report on groundwater quality in the vicinity of the landfills (de Roche and Razem, 1981) notes several areas of low-level contamination and indicates that the direction of ground-water flow is towards the Scioto River. Mos.t recently, de Roche (1985) provides evidence of continued degradation of ambient water quality near the landfills ^and presents a ground-water-level map showing a large, asymmetrical cone of depression centered on a limestone quarry ( fig.…”