Application of frequency selection and geoelectrical sounding methods for mapping of leachate’s pathways in an active dumpsite

Abstract

Contamination of surrounding environments is one of the threats to the proper maintenance of municipal waste sites in developing nations. This study integrates natural electromagnetic (EM) field and geoelectrical sounding methods to assess the leachate’s pathways in the near-surface layers and groundwater system in and around an active dumpsite. Five natural EM traverses were obtained in varying orientations using PQWT-TC 150 model. Fifteen vertical electrical sounding (VES) data points were randomly occupied using SAS 4000 ABEM resistivity meter. The two techniques revealed some intercalations of conductive and resistive media in the study area. The conductive media are composed of mixtures of leachates into clay and groundwater units, thereby creating zones of very low electrical potential differences from the surface to a depth beyond 30 m. A zone of leachate-aquifer’s interphase exists between the third layer and the fourth layer. The directions of the fluid flow are in the S–N and SE–NW trends, which could be linked to the fault towards the northwestern part of the study area. The fluid dynamics, however, justified the reason for the thick conductive materials being mapped at the northwestern and northern parts of the study area.