Impact of Earthquake Demolition Debris on the Quality of Groundwater

Abstract

Problem statement: Debris from construction or demolition/deconstruction processes have no significant impact on the environment as they are res-usable and inert. This has been also long admitted for solid waste generated by the demolition of damaged cities following violent earthquakes. Approach: This study is a contribution to the assessment of actual impact on the quality of groundwater of buried demolition debris from the city of Boumerdes, in the North of Algeria 5 years after the May 21st 2003 earthquake hit the region. The public discharge of Boumerdes city has been used as a temporary landfill. It is located about 5 km downtown of Boumerdes at the Tidjelabine site which is marly-calcareous formation. Leachate from the landfill was directly rejected in the receiving environment, where the soil is marly-calcareous type with cracks giving a variable permeability (10 −2 m sec −1 to nearly 10 −6 m sec) that facilitates infiltration of potential pollutants to the groundwater. The slope character (from 5-10%) of the field contributes to pollutants movement and may accentuate water quality deterioration. Three domestic wells (designated S1, S2 and S3) were selected in the vicinity of the landfill and served as piezometers. Leachate samples were taken from the landfill and evaluated. Results: Leachate analysis indicated organic matter with relatively high COD (1136 mg L . More than five years after the creation of this landfill and despite its predominant C&D nature, these results showed that it was following a typical urban wastes decomposition scheme. Same analysis carried on water samples drawn from the piezometers yielded following results: acidic pH (6.88), acceptable values of target heavy metals concentrations except for Zn with 0.779 mg L −1. Additionally bacteriological cross analysis (membrane filter and multi-tube methods) showed groundwater contamination by total coliforms (1100/100 mL), fecal coliforms (11/100 mL) and fecal streptococci (1100/100 mL). Conclusion: These results proved that leachate had reached the first aquifer horizon about 10 m beneath soil surface. Prior to any remediation program, Management of Boumerdes Municipality is called to quickly implement a reuse and recycling program of the demolition debris in order to stop water reservoirs contamination source.

Water quality changes after Kraljevo earthquake in 2010

“…The As values were two times higher than the environmental standard in Inagawa River tributaries (Kimo and Shio Rivers) after the Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake on January 17, 1995 (Ogoshi et al 1996). There was also an increase in the heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Cr, and Zn) after the earthquake in the city of Boumerdes in Northern Algeria on May 21, 2003 (Benmenni and Benrachedi 2010).…”

“…These changes have been numerous: water level changes, drying up and flooding of (water) wells, and changes in water chemistry (Lee et al 2013;Muço et al 2012;Semmane et al 2012; Ratnapradipa et al 2012;Reddy et al 2011;Waggoner 2011;Benmenni and Benrachedi 2010;Liu et al 2010;Malakootian and Nouiri 2010;Mokhtari 2010;Lei et al 2008;Yaltirak et al 2005;Claesson et al 2004;Lamontagne 2002;Tokunaga 1999;Ogoshi et al 1996;Rojstaczer et al 1995;Whitehead et al 1984/85). Hydro-geochemical changes have included anomalies of radon, helium, CO 2 , pH, conductivity, Na, K,Mg,Ca,B,Li,Mo,Rb,S,Si,Sr,Cl,HCO 3 ,NO 3 , NO 2 , NH 4 , SO 4 , oxygen-18 (d 18 O), F, total dissolved solids TDS (Reddy et al 2011;Liu et al 2010;Malakootian and Nouiri 2010;Old et al 2005;Claesson et al 2004;Tokunaga 1999), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (Benmenni and Benrachedi 2010), ammonia nitrogen, total E. coli, the total bacteria number, residual chlorine (Lei et al 2008), As (Ogoshi et al 1996), Cu, Mn, Zn, and Cr (Claesson et al 2004). Earthquakes may affect water systems in various ways.…”

A New Viewpoint for Seismotectonic Zoning

“…In order to get access to distribution mode of seismic deformation various seismotectonic studies have been conducted (Unesco, 1985;Berberian, 1976;Nowroozi, 1976;1979;Nowroozi and Ahmadi, 1986;Mirzaei et al, 1999;Tavakoli and Ghafory-Ashtiani, 1999;Ansari et al, 2009. However the seismic studies are important in various scales (Benmenni and Benrachedi, 2010;Amiri and Tabatabaei, 2008;Al-Zoubi, 2005;Chakraborty and Choudhury, 2009;Hazarika, 2009;Choopool and Boonyapinyo, 2011;Abu-Lebdeh et al, 2011;Teachavorasinskun et al, 2009;Escobar et al, 2008;Mayoral and Romo, 2008;Musmar, 2007;Singh and Roy, 2009), but the seismotectonic zoning are mainly conducted in largescale without any effort on small-scale basis because of problems and disputes. It is possible to clarify the basis of ambiguities and disputes concerning on zonings through bringing up a basic problem and also considering subjectivity with regard to method and quality of zonings.…”

“…This method has also been widely applied by the landfill operator to control the concentration of pollution as well as measuring the ground water level (Benmenni and Benrachedi, 2010).…”

Footing Under Static Loading: Land Subsidence

“…This method has also been widely applied by the landfill operator to control the concentration of pollution as well as measuring the ground water level (Benmenni and Benrachedi, 2010).…”