Direct current (DC) resistivity measurements in long-term groundwater monitoring programmes

Abstract

Effective leak detection systems are most often needed to enable early warnings of groundwater contamination from landfill areas. In order to monitor the groundwater chemical changes over time direct current (DC) resistivity measurements have been used, since variation in groundwater ion concentration give changes of the electrical potential field. A simple, low-cost system for long-term monitoring has been developed and used for 4 years at an existing operational landfill in central Sweden. The paper describes the construction and operation of the geoelectrical monitoring system based on a fixed electrode Wenner array, situated in a glaciated terrain. The simplicity of the system enables non-experts in geophysics to run the system and evaluate the results. The lateral resistivity variations (up to 10,000% from the mean lateral value) clearly reflect strongly different natural geological conditions, whereas the variations over time (15% from the mean value at each specific point) reflect mainly the seasonal soil humidity and groundwater level variations. Leachates from the landfill have a low resistivity (about 1 ohmm) and the moderate seasonal variations in electrical resistivity favour the possibilities for identification of leakage from the landfill. Evaluation of resistivity data comprises modified double mass calculations versus data from reference measurement sites, which enables detection of contamination although it influences the resistivity less than the natural seasonal variations.