Geoelectrical Characterization of Coastal Aquifers in Agbado-Ijaye, Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria; Implications for Groundwater Resources Sustainability

Abstract

Water is a natural resource; its availability depends on climatic and geological conditions, and it is invariably controlled by human activities. Agbado-Ijaye lies within a coastal area, where local communities have been facing incessant water shortages, especially during the dry season. This study investigated the groundwater-bearing geological unit(s) using hydrogeophysical techniques in the coastal environment. The electrical resistivity technique, involving vertical electrical sounding (VES) and two-dimensional (2D) electrical resistivity imaging via Wenner array electrode configuration, was used to characterize the geoelectric distribution. Twenty VES stations were investigated and current electrodes (AB/2 m) spacing expanded from 1–200 m; four 2D electrical resistivity imaging traverses having a length of 200 m each and interelectrode spacing of 10 m (level 1) to 60 m (level 6) was adopted. Four geoelectric units were delineated, namely: topsoil (15–251 Ωm), clayey (28–100 Ωm), clayey sand (125–190 Ωm) and sandy (205–876 Ωm) with thicknesses ranging from 0.7–1.3 m, 4.1–19.0 m, 2.6–15.6 m and undefined depth, respectively. The 2D imaging sections also detected similar geoelectric layers, corroborating the VES-derived sections. The inverted sections delineated two different aquifers: the shallower low-yield aquifer comprising sandy clay/clayey sand units with a maximum depth of about 5.5 m. This layer is adjudged to be the continental plain sand of the Benin Formation. The deeper high-yield aquifer with a maximum depth of 30.4 m is a beach sand unit that belongs to the Tertiary Alluvium of the Dahomey Basin. The study showed that hydrogeophysical investigation is vital in exploring, developing, and managing coastal groundwater resources.