Assessment of Groundwater Pollution with Heavy Metals at the Al-Akaider Landfill Area, North Jordan

Abstract

In order to assess the potential pollution of the groundwater around Al-akaider landfill waste area, heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cd, Fe) used concentrations in the water well samples around thestudyarea. The sources of groundwater pollution from natural sources are related to the rock formation or anthropogenic sources, including the direct application of fertilizers and pesticides, or irrigation through the use of wastewater treatment plant and human consumption activity. Twenty-one groundwater samples were collected from the surrounding of the Al-akaiderlandfill area, which is a part of the Yarmouk Basin. The Feed wells in the area were discharged from the shallow aquifer of Wadi Es-Sir formation (A7) and Amman silicified formation (B2). The groundwater level is 220 m below the surface and the groundwater movement northeast towards the west (through under the landfill area). The samples were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) to determine their heavy metal concentration for Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cd and Fe. The results of the analysis showed that the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb and Cd in all samples are within the maximum permissible limits of the Jordanian Institution for Standards and Metrology Jordan Drinking Water. The iron concentration of well T10 is higher than the allowable limit for the Jordanian Institution for Standards and Metrology of drinking water (JISM, 2008). This well (T10) is located 4 km away from the west landfill area and the contamination in this well is an indication of natural sources, which mixes deep water with deep aquifer.