2-D Electrical Resistivity Imaging to Assess Slurry Pond Subsoil Pollution in the Southeastern Region of Murcia, Spain

Abstract

About 2,341 pig farms generate large amounts of slurry in the southeastern Region of Murcia, Spain. Given the nature of the pig slurry as well as its amount produced in livestock, it has become a matter of growing environmental concern. The control of slurry ponds is now a top priority concern to create a safer environment, especially for agricultural production. This study reports the results of a much wider and comprehensive project carried out to collect reliable data on the behavior of slurry, soil, and the infiltration of slurry ponds under semiarid climate. The two-dimensional (2-D) electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) technique was used to qualitatively evaluate the natural permeability of the soils and depth that slurry had reached. The results obtained have shown that ERI is a useful tool in mapping the infiltration, as well as monitoring seasonal changes in the pollutant plume underneath the slurry ponds.