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Geophysical Investigation of the Impact of Solid Waste Dump on Subsurface Soil and Groundwater in Eneka, Rivers State Nigeria

Nwankwo, Cyril N.

Abstract

The geophysical electrical method was used to investigate how the refuse dump in Eneka (Rivers State, Nigeria) affects the subsurface soil and groundwater within its environs. The research was carried out applying Wenner and Schlumberger array configurations of electrical resistivity techniques to image the subsurface resistivity within the area using ABEM SAS 300 Terrameter. A total of ten locations were investigated and the measured data across the profiles were processed using RES2DINV and ArcGIS 10.4 computer iterative software. The resulting inverse resistivity model isolated three resistivity zones (anomalously low, intermediate and high resistivity). The anomalously low resistivity zone was interpreted as contaminant leachate plumes and landfill gases from the dump area was observed to have travelled to depths of 14 m below the surface and over 30 m distance eastwards from the dump site, showing the tendency of farm land and crops pollution. However, the aquifer layer in the area estimated at the depth of 40 m may not have been contaminated. The spatial trend of almost all the resistivity values measured at equidistance reveals low value for lines 3 and 4 (which are farther away from the dump site) at the beginning and high value at the end and vice versa for lines 1 and 2. At the rate at which the leachate has infiltrated the subsurface the aquifer within the area is likely to be contaminated in the future if adequate measures are not taken.

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GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF SOLID WASTE DUMP ON SUBSURFACE SOIL AND GROUNDWATER IN ENEKA, RIVERS STATE NIGERIA Cy il N. NWANKWO 1, Ma k OGORO 2 1 Uni e si y o Po Ha cou , Depa men o Physics, Nige ia 2 Uni e si y o Po Ha cou , Depa men o Geog aphy and En i onmen al Managemen , Nige ia E-mail: cy il.nwankwo@unipo .edu.ng ABSTRACT The geophysical elec ical me hod was used o in es iga e how he e use dump in Eneka (Ri e s S a e, Nige ia) a ec s he subsu ace soil and g oundwa e wi hin i s en i ons. The esea ch was ca ied ou applying Wenne and Schlumbe ge a ay con igu a ions o elec ical esis i i y echniques o image he subsu ace esis i i y wi hin he a ea using ABEM SAS 300 Te ame e . A o al o en loca ions we e in es iga ed and he measu ed da a ac oss he p o iles we e p ocessed using RES2DINV and A cGIS 10.4 compu e i e a i e so wa e. The esul ing in e se esis i i y model isola ed h ee esis i i y zones (anomalously low, in e media e and high esis i i y). The anomalously low esis i i y zone was in e p e ed as con aminan leacha e plumes and land ill gases om he dump a ea was obse ed o ha e a elled o dep hs o 14 m below he su ace and o e 30 m dis ance eas wa ds om he dump si e, showing he endency o a m land and c ops pollu ion. Howe e , he aqui e laye in he a ea es ima ed a he dep h o 40 m may no ha e been con amina ed. The spa ial end o almos all he esis i i y alues measu ed a equidis ance e eals low alue o lines 3 and 4 (which a e a he away om he dump si e) a he beginning and high alue a he end and ice e sa o lines 1 and 2. A he a e a which he leacha e has in il a ed he subsu ace he aqui e wi hin he a ea is likely o be con amina ed in he u u e i adequa e measu es a e no aken. Keywo ds: Dump si e; Elec ical esis i i y; Eneka; G oundwa e ; Leacha e plume. 1 INTRODUCTION Ac i i ies o man on Ea h gi e ise o esidual ma e ials ha may no be o immedia e use. Such ma e ials may be ecycled, eclaimed, o e-used; o he wise hey cons i u e was e (pollu an s) ha will ul ima ely be eleased o he en i onmen in mobile o m o in si u [1]. These pollu an s pose common en i onmen al p oblems ha ha e c ea ed he need o ind sui able me hods o moni o ing he ex en o such en i onmen al damage [2]. A eas nea land ills o dump si es a e p one o g oundwa e and soil con amina ion because o he p esence o leacha e o igina ing om he sou ce o he na u al en i onmen . The umes/odou emana ing om solid was e can also lead o skin and blood in ec ions, eye and espi a o y in ec ions, as well as ch onic diseases such as cance s [3]. Economic ac i i ies a e also a ec ed as people will no like o loca e hei companies, businesses and houses in oxic a eas/en i onmen . Land and wa e bo ne diseases and in ec ions may also occu nea such dump si es. 122 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 The use o geophysics o enginee ing and g oundwa e con amina ion s udies has inc eased in ecen ime wi h apid ad ances in compu e so wa e and associa ed nume ical modeling solu ions. The geoelec ical imaging me hod has been widely used in en i onmen al and geo echnical in es iga ions o de ec he su ace e ec s p oduced by he low o elec ic cu en inside he ea h [4]. The e ical elec ical sounding (VES) echnique has been used in a wide ange o geophysical in es iga ions such as mine al explo a ion, a cheological in es iga ion, enginee ing s udies, geo he mal explo a ion, pe ma os mapping and geological mapping [5–8]. Soil which is an essen ial esou ce o he exis ence o plan li e, ood p oduc ion and indus ial ma e ials can easily be a ec ed by con amina ion om su ace pollu ion, was e disposal o oxic indus ial was es [9]. In his s udy, e ical elec ical sounding (VES) and wo-dimensional (2-D) geoelec ic me hods we e used o delinea e he aqui e dep h and le el o con amina ion on he subsu ace soil and g oundwa e om land ill mixed wi h bo h haza dous and non-haza dous ma e ials om indus ies, homes and o ices. This was achie ed by measu ing he elec ical esis ance o he subsu ace, e alua e he dep h and di ec ion o low o he leacha e esul ing om he was e ma e ials and hence delinea e he possibili y o con amina ion o nea su ace o ma ion and aqui e , based on in e p e ed esis i i y models. Se e al wo ks ha e been documen ed on he use o a ious geophysical elec ical echniques in p obing he e ec o leacha e plume a land ill si es on soil and g oundwa e [10–13]. Roseq is in [14], ca ied ou 2-D esis i i y imaging aimed a mapping possible leacha e plumes a wo land ill si es in Sou h A ica. The in e se model sec ion e eals he ex en o he leacha e plumes in he land ills, wi h esis i i y alue o less han 10Ω-m. Resea ch in [15] mapped con amina ed plumes a municipal solid was e disposal si es in Malaysia using geoelec ic imaging echnique. The esul o he in e p e a ion de ined he con amina ed leacha e plumes as elec ically conduc i e anomalies o ela i ely low esis i i y alues less han 10Ω-m. Also, Ehi im e al. in [16] ca ied ou 2-D esis i i y imaging o de e mine he impac o municipal solid was e land ill in Po Ha cou Municipali y. Two dis inc i e zones we e mapped, he zones o anomalously low and high esis i e s uc u es. The low esis i e s uc u es we e in e p e ed as ock ma e ials con amina ed wi h leacha e plumes ha a e p edominan ly me hane, ammonium, hyd ogen sulphide and ca bon dioxide. 2 GEOLOGY OF THE STUDY AREA Eneka own is loca ed wi hin he No h-Cen al axis o Ri e s S a e, Nige ia be ween la i udes 4°53’N h ough 4°54’N, and longi udes 7°0’E h ough 7°2’E (Fig. 1). The egion is cha ac e ized by low lying plain wi h mean ele a ion 13 me e s below mean sea le el. Eneka lies wi hin he opical bel , cha ac e ized by abundan ain all almos all yea ound, wi h he excep ion o he mon hs o Decembe h ough Feb ua y. An annual ain all o abou 240 cm, ela i e humidi y o o e 90 % and mean annual empe a u e o 27°C is common in he a ea [8]. The ainy/we season occu s be ween Ap il and Oc obe wi h hea y ain all and ela i ely cons an humidi y. Thick mang o e o es , a ia palms and ligh ain o es a e he majo ypes o ege a ion. The s udy a ea is a ypical Nige Del a sedimen a y en i onmen wi h h ee s a ig aphic uni s, namely, he Benin, Agbada and Aka a Fo ma ions in o de o inc easing age [17]. The o ma ions consis o pe meable sands, al e na ions o shale, sands ones and sil s one; and hick shale sequence a he base. The a ea is known o high aqui e po en ial, wi h he g oundwa e lowing in he NW-SE di ec ion, in line wi h he Nige Del a end. 123 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 Figu e 1. Map o he s udy a ea 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS The geophysical in es iga ion in ol ed wo elec ical esis i i y echniques: Ve ical Elec ical Sounding (VES) using he Schlumbe ge con igu a ion and 2-D elec ical imaging using Wenne a ay. The VES echnique uses he p inciple o s a ic elec ical a ay ha is pulled ac oss he g ound su ace o con inuous co e age o he esis ance o he subsu ace, u ilizing esis i i y me e , ABEM Te ame e SAS 300. A o al o six s a ions we e occupied along he a e se wi h a maximum cu en sepa a ion o 300 m and po en ial elec ode sepa a ion o 15 m. The eels o cables we e laid along he a e se wi h he cu en and po en ial elec odes dis ances measu ed wi h measu ing apes. The po en ial elec odes MN we e placed e y close o he sounding poin such ha MN is abou i e imes less han he cu en elec odes, AB. Po en ial elec ode sepa a ion (MN/2) is measu ed a 0.5 m in e al and a each ixed poin , cu en was injec ed in o he g ound and he esul ing po en ial d ops be ween he elec odes we e measu ed by he me e , which au oma ically calcula es he esis ance ha was displayed on he sc een. The cu en elec odes we e hen mo ed o nex ma ked poin o ano he shoo ing while he po en ial elec odes emained ixed a he poin , bu mo ed only when he eading becomes e y small. The acqui ed da a we e p ocessed using esis i i y in e sion (RES2DINV) compu e i e a i e so wa e and p esen ed as sounding cu es, which a e plo s o appa en esis i i y alues agains cu en elec ode sepa a ion (AB/2). Quan i a i e in e p e a ion o he sounding cu es ga e in e p e ed esul s as geoelec ic pa ame e s ( ha is, laye esis i i y and laye hickness). In he 2-D esis i i y imaging, ou ho izon al p o ile s a ions we e occupied, u ilizing a mul i-elec ode sys em wi h equal minimum spacing ‘a’ be ween successi e elec odes (Fig. 2). The mul i co e cable was laid on he g ound in a s aigh line along he a e ses wi h in e al spacing anges o 5 m o 30 m a each sounding s a ion. The elec odes we e connec ed o a Cen al swi ching sys em (Te ame e ) and cu en s we e injec ed in o he g ound ia he cu en elec odes (C1 and C2) loca ed a he ex e io o he po en ial elec odes (P1 and P2). The po en ial di e ence be ween he po en ial elec odes we e measu ed and he esis ance o he g ound was calcula ed 124 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 C C 1 P P a au oma ically by he me e . A e aking he i s eading a s a ion 1, he cables and elec odes we e mo ed in a leap- og manne o he nex posi ion o he second eading. This p ocess con inued un il all measu emen poin s along he a e se we e co e ed. Two hund ed and nine y- wo da a poin s we e acqui ed and subsequen ly p ocessed using he RES2DINV and geog aphic in o ma ion sys em (A cGIS 10.4) so wa e. Figu e 2. Wenne a ay con igu a ion 4 RESULTS The RES2DINV p og am displayed he esul o 2D imaging ield da a as in e se pseudo-sec ion ha gi es he esis i i y o he subsu ace laye s as a unc ion o e ical dep h (Figu es 3 o 6). Th ee dis inc zones we e iden i ied om he model sec ion as zones o low, in e media e and high esis i i y. Figu e 3. 2-D esis i i y pseudo sec ion o P o ile 1 Figu e 4. 2-D esis i i y pseudo sec ion o P o ile 2 a a 125 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 Figu e 5. 2-D esis i i y pseudo sec ion o P o ile 3 Figu e 6. 2-D esis i i y pseudo sec ion o P o ile 4 P o ile 1 The in e se model Pseudo sec ion has esis i i y alues lowe han 4.89 Ω-m and g ea e han 3308 Ω-m. The con amina ed low esis i i y zone (deep o ligh blue) wi h esis i i y alue ha is lowe han 4.89 Ω-m was isola ed a he lowe sec ion o he p o ile a su ace poin s 35.5 m o 52.0 m and dep hs ange o 12.5 m o 14.8 m. This zone is o e lain by mo e esis i e laye s wi h alues ange o 30.6 Ω-m o 500.5 Ωm (ligh g een o yellow). The high esis i i y zone (yellow o pu ple) alues a e om 514 Ω-m o o e 3380 Ω-m a h ee di e en shallow su ace poin s. The highes esis i e sec ion (pu ple) was isola ed wi hin he dep hs o 2.52 m and 3.58 m, a 4.26 m o 7.52 m su ace poin s. P o ile 2 The esis i i y o he uncon amina ed zone anges be ween 441Ω-m and 251Ω-m (pu ple o o ange), spanning h ough mos op sec ion o he p o ile. The highes esis i i y is loca ed a he wes e n pa o he p o ile a a dep hs ange o 0.938 m o 10.0 m and su ace poin s o 5.02 m o 35.0 m. The zones o low esis i i y (deep o ligh blue) we e isola ed a he uppe and lowe pa s o he p o ile sec ion wi h alues ange o less han 61.6 o 81.6Ω-m. The dep h o he uppe pa anges om 0.938 m o 2.21 m, a su ace poin s o 45.2 m o 70.0 m. The lowe pa o his sec ion was isola ed a dep hs ange o 13.0 m o 14.8 m and su ace poin s o 36.5 m o 50.2 m. The in e media e esis i i y zone (ligh g een o yellow) has esis i i y alues anging be ween 108 and 251Ω-m and sp ead om he su ace o a dep h o abou 2.81 m, and a su ace poin ange o 30 m o o e 90 m. This in e al was also isola ed a he cen e o he p o ile a su ace poin 30 m o 60 m and dep hs ange o 6.95 m o abou 14.8 m. 126 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 P o ile 3 The high esis i i y zone wi h alues ange om 1206Ω-m o 814Ω-m (pu ple o o ange) spanned h ough he op pe meable soil o ma ion o he bo om o he in es iga ed dep h (14.8m), be ween 28.0 m and 90 m su ace poin s. I co e s mos pa s o he p o ile. This zone o e lies he less esis i e zone (ligh g een o yellow) a su ace poin s 6.0 m o 60.0 m and dep hs ange o 0.938 m o 14.0 m. The esis i i y ange o his zone is 814 o 452Ω-m. The low esis i i y zone (deep o ligh blue) wi h alue ange o 306Ω-m o 452Ω-m we e isola ed a dep hs ange o 0.938 m o 4.78 m, a su ace poin s ange o 6.0 m o 9.0 m; and also a a dep h ange o 13.0 m o 14.8 m and su ace poin s o 35.0 m o 50.0 m. P o ile 4 This p o ile exhibi s almos he same cha ac e is ics as P o ile 3. The con amina ed low esis i i y zone (deep o ligh blue) has a esis i i y ange o 386 o 461Ω-m, a su ace poin s 5.0 m o 8.0 m and dep hs ange o 13.0 m o 14.8 m. The zone o e lies a highe esis i i y zone (ligh blue o yellow) ha ing alue o 560 o 785Ω-m and spanning om 0.938 o 14.8 m a su ace poin s ange o 6.0 o 58 m. The anomalous esis i i y zone (pu ple o o ange) has esis i i y in excess o 1336 o 937Ω-m a dep hs ange o 0.938 o 14.8 m and su ace poin s 40 o 90 m. Aqui e Dep h De e mina ion The geoelec ic cu e o each sounding poin we e p ocessed using RES2DINV au oma ic analysis so wa e. The ep esen a i e cu e esul is p esen ed in Figu e 7 and he compu e modeled analysis is shown in Table 1. The compu e -modelled esul s a e summa ized in Table 2. Figu e 7. Model cu e o VES 1 127 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 Table 1. In e p e ed compu e model o VES 1 App Resis i i y Thickness (m) Dep h (m) Ohms-m (m) (m) 92.5 1.5 1.5 160 3.35 4.85 273 9.19 14.04 768 37.5 51.54 329 The i s laye has a esis i i y o 92.5Ω-m and is desc ibed as he opsoil wi h a hickness o 1.5 m. This laye consis s o so , b ownish, la e i ic sandy clay and sil clay. Laye wo has a esis i i y o 160Ω-m and appea s a a dep h o 4.85 m. I is desc ibed as medium o dense, poo ly g aded la e i ic sand. The unde lying laye wi h a esis i i y o 273Ω-m has a o al hickness o 9.19 m is a medium o dense ligh b own, poo ly-g aded sands. The ou h laye is a medium o coa se well-so ed sands (aqui e laye ) wi h esis i i y o 768Ω-m and hickness o 37.5m. The dep h o he i h laye wi h esis i i y o 329Ω-m was no de e mined. Table 2. Summa y o he esul s o compu e modelling o all he sounding s a ion 5 DISCUSSION The impac o municipal solid was e land ill on g oundwa e and soil was in es iga ed using 2-D esis i i y imaging echnique. The esul o he model sec ion e eals ha he su ounding soil and g oundwa e a ound he land ill may no ha e been con amina ed o dep h beyond 14 m, which is below he p oduc i e aqui e dep h o abou 40 m and abo e in he s udy a ea. The 2-D esis i i y imaging mapped h ee dis inc i e zones o anomalously low, in e media e and high esis i i y. The anomalously low esis i i y (deep o ligh blue) in he p o iles we e in e p e ed as high conduc i e leacha e con aminan plumes (as a esul o decomposing land ill was e) con aining o ganic and ino ganic subs ances, pa hogens and Dissol ed solids. The leacha e con aminan plume is obse ed o ha e seeped om su ace o dep hs exceeding 14 m in he in e se model sec ion. This obse ed seepage is enhanced by he na u e o he pe meable sandy laye cha ac e is ic o he a ea. The zones o inc easing esis i i y (ligh g een o yellow) wi h esis i i y anging om 79.9 Ω-m o 937Ω-m in he en i e a ea we e also iden i ied as po ous and pe meable sandy laye s o a ying g ain sizes and mois u e con en . The zones o anomalously high esis i i y (pink o pu ple) wi h esis i i y g ea e han 3308 Ω-m in he en i e p o iles we e in e p e ed as uncon amina ed wa e - illed sands. The esul s show ha he modelled subsu ace is mo e esis i e (uncon amina ed) as we mo e away om he land ill as seen in P o iles 3 and 4 which we e aken abou 100 m away om he si e (Fig. 8), wi h he esis i i y inc easing eas wa ds. This was co obo a ed by he spa ial end o he equidis ance measu ed esis i i y (Figu es 9–14) ac oss di e en lines analyzed wi h GIS so wa e. Figu e 9 shows esis i i y p o ile a 5 me e s equidis ance ac oss di e en lines a ound he dumpsi e. I e eals high esis i i y nea he sou ce o lines 1 and 2, while in line 3, high esis i i y was obse ed in he middle and a he end o lines 3 and 4 espec i ely. Low esis i i y uns VES s a ion no. Laye Resis i i y (Ohm-m) Laye Thickness (m) Dep h (m) P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 1 2 3 4 5 h1 h2 h3 h4 h5 1 162 303 539 1029 785 1.9 4.01 8.56 17.6 - 1.9 5.91 14.5 32.1 - 2 736 589 1859 3428 2612 1.84 1.79 4.85 23.4 - 1.84 3.63 8.48 31.9 - 3 92.5 160 273 768 329 1.5 3.35 9.19 37.5 - 1.5 4.86 14 51.5 - 4 90.76 947.6 924.20 2452.00 490 0.60 1.83 2.43 37.40 - 0.60 2.43 486 42.26 - 128 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 ac oss he middle o he end o lines 1 and 2 and also in he beginning o bo h lines 3 and 4. Figu e 10 shows p o iles a 10 me e s equidis ance ac oss di e en lines in he s udy a ea. I e ealed high esis i i y a he sou ce o lines 1 and 2, while in line 3, high esis i i y is obse ed in he middle and a he end o he p o ile. Line 4 eco ded high esis i i y a he end o he p o ile only. Low esis i i y uns ac oss he middle and end o lines 1 and 2, while he e is obse ed low esis i i y a he beginning o lines 3 and 4. Figu e 11 displays esis i i y dis ibu ion a 15 me e s equidis ance ac oss di e en lines a ound he dumpsi e. I e ealed high esis i i y a he sou ce end o lines 1 and 2, while in lines 3 and 4, high esis i i y was obse ed a he end. Low esis i i y uns ac oss he middle o he end o lines 1 and 2 espec i ely, while lines 3 and 4 obse ed low esis i i y a he beginning. Figu e 12 shows p o ile a 20 me e s equidis ance ac oss di e en lines in he s udy a ea. I shows high esis i i y a he sou ce o lines 1 and 2, while in lines 3 and 4, high esis i i y was obse ed a he middle and he end espec i ely. Low esis i i y uns ac oss he middle and end o lines 1 and 2, while lines 3 and 4 obse ed low esis i i y a he beginning o he p o ile. Figu e 13 displays he p o iles a 25 me e s equidis ance ac oss di e en lines nea he dumpsi e. I shows high esis i i y a he sou ce poin o line 1 and a he middle o line 2, while in lines 3 and 4, high esis i i y was obse ed a he end. Low esis i i y is dominan obse ed nea -middle o line 1 and nea -end o line 2, while lines 3 and 4 eco ded low esis i i y a he beginning o he p o ile. Figu e 14 shows p o ile eco dings a 30- me e equidis ance ac oss di e en lines in he a ea. This e ealed low esis i i y a he beginning o all he p o iles, high esis i i y a he midpoin o lines 1, 3 and 4 and low esis i i y was also obse ed a he middle and end o line 2 and 3, espec i ely. Figu e 8. Loca ion o Da a poin s in he S udy A ea The VES esul s e eal ha he main aqui e zones occu wi hin he 4 h geo-elec ic laye s wi h a esis i i y ange o 768 o 2452 Ω-m and dep h a ying om 31.9 o 51.5 m and laye hickness o e 37.5 m. This inding was alida ed wi h he aqui e dep h de e mined om wo ks o o he au ho s done e y close o he s udy a ea [18]. 129 GeoScience Enginee ing Vol. 66 (2020), No. 3 h p://gse. sb.cz pp. 121–135, ISSN 1802-5420 DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0037 Thus, he aqui e laye wi hin he a ea may no ha e been con amina ed. Howe e , he loca ion o his dump si e in he a ea will se iously a ec he ag icul u al p oduce due o he p esence o he leacha e om he land ill. ¨ Figu e 9. The spa ial end in 5m equidis ance measu ed esis i i y be ween and wi hin obse ed lines