Abstract
The paper aims to determine the most significant physicochemical indicators of the effects that a lined landfill in southern Poland has had on groundwater quality. The results of the tests of groundwater and leachate water from the landfill for the period 2009 to 2016 were subjected to a detailed statistical analysis based on the 10 physicochemical parameters. A factor analysis was conducted considering the European Union and national requirements for landfills using analytical and statistical tools. The leachate contamination indicators from a landfill were analysed to reveal their interaction with the groundwater. The assessment indicated that there was an elevated and statistically significantly higher electrical conductivity and copper and total organic carbon concentrations in groundwater hydraulically downgradient of the landfill. The assessment also indicated that there were significant differences in the correlations between chemical parameters downgradient of the landfill and that there was a trend of increasing concentrations of some chemical constituents in groundwater. The adverse effects of the landfill were due to the deposited amount of waste exceeding 10 Mg per day. The impact was noticeable despite low and decreasing concentrations of heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) in the leachate. The deterioration of the chemical state of the groundwater in the landfill vicinity could result in the extended time of pollutant migration or mass transport in the irrigated soil medium due to the limited efficiency of the leachate intake system or sealing screen after more than 20 years of landfill operation.
Highlights
In the twenty-first century, landfills around the world continue to be an important part of waste management
The risk of groundwater contamination by leachates from landfills requires that their composition be identified at each stage of operation and, in particular, exploitation, as groundwater is usually considered to be of good natural quality due to its geological environment (MacDonald and Calow 2009; Przydatek and Kanownik 2019)
The test results of the physicochemical parameters of groundwater and leachate samples, meteorological data and the number of leachate samples collected over a period of eight years were used to conduct a statistical analysis and to draw conclusions aimed at demonstrating principal factors that influence groundwater quality in in the immediate vicinity of a municipal landfill (Przydatek and Kanownik 2019)
Summary
In the twenty-first century, landfills around the world continue to be an important part of waste management. In Poland, which is ranked sixth among the European Union countries in terms of population, 278 landfills were in use at the end of 2019 (Statistics Poland 2019) Their locations, construction details and method of operation are subject to regulation in the country. The risk of groundwater contamination by leachates from landfills requires that their composition be identified at each stage of operation and, in particular, exploitation, as groundwater is usually considered to be of good natural quality due to its geological environment (MacDonald and Calow 2009; Przydatek and Kanownik 2019). The control of the municipal landfill site remains an important aspect due to the potential threat of leachates to the surrounding water environment as a result of changes in quality (Xie et al 2015)
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