Abstract
Abstract The impact of individual septic tank effluent on groundwater quality was investigated in the rural area of the Ain Soltane municipality in Algeria. This area has an important number of individual septic tanks, and it is devoid of a drinking water supply and sewerage systems. The septic tank is a pre-treatment solution of sewage by bacteria living without oxygen (anaerobic). The alluvial aquifer in this area is covered by a layer of good permeability on the surface, which can pollute groundwater by vertical transport of pollutants through the soil, including microbial contamination. Groundwater samples were collected from 33 wells in the dry period of 2016. The monitoring of groundwater quality has shown a significant degree of organic and inorganic pollution in the majority of wells, with very high concentrations of sulphate and chloride exceeding 450 mg/l and 250 mg/l respectively. The analyzes also show the presence of bacterial germs in the groundwater of which the origin is faecal (faecal coliform densities are above 10 organisms per 100 ml, and the Total Streptococcus is more than 240 colonies per 100 ml). Monitoring confirms the contamination of these wells from septic tanks and that it was moving into groundwater, which makes it unfit for drinking due to the pathogenic germs. This poses a major problem for public health. This study has identified the effects of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in this area.
Highlights
Numerous diseases influencing the world's population are connected to the contamination of surface water or/and groundwater from untreated domestic and industrial wastewater
The impact of individual septic tank effluent on groundwater quality was investigated in the rural area of the Ain Soltane municipality in Algeria
This area has an important number of individual septic tanks, and it is devoid of a drinking water supply and sewerage systems
Summary
Numerous diseases influencing the world's population are connected to the contamination of surface water or/and groundwater from untreated domestic and industrial wastewater. The neighboring cities of the plain have wastewater discharges towards the stream of the wadi Cheliff river, due to the absence of a wastewater treatment plant, whereas the rural agglomerations use individual septic tanks for the discharge of wastewater, which represents one of the main environmental problems facing the plain, due to its impact on superficial and groundwater resources (Fig. 1). This rural agglomeration with about 10 000 inhabitants spread over an area of about 3000 hectares, has no network systems for drinking or for sewerage. The local inhabitants use private wells for drinking supplies and septic tanks to discharge wastewater
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