EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF LEACHATE CONTAMINATION ON GROUNDWATER EXPLORATION IN BASEMENT COMPLEX AREA

Abstract

A total of ten groundwater samples were collected from wells around the site of Orita Aperin refuse        dump, Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria, to determine the extent of groundwater contamination. The results        of   the  hydro-chemical   analysis   show  that   groundwater   samples   collected  from wells   away from the        leachate revealed comparable W.H.O. standard values for groundwater consumption. Most obvious        parameters   are:  increase   in   total  hardness   (between   184.8   and   239.6mg/l   for   samples   near   the        leachate;   74   and   102mg/l   for   samples   far   from   the   leachate),   low   calcium   (ranged   from   46.2   to        78.7mg/l for samples near the leachate; 3.7 to 32.8mg/l for samples far from the leachate), magne-        sium (ranged from 5.1 to 30.3mg/l for samples near the leachate; 3.4 to 21.5mg/l for samples far from        the leachate), chloride (between 20 and 224mg/l for samples near the leachate, 32 and 174mg/l), and        sulphate content (ranged from 9 to 76mg/l for samples near the leachate; 25 to 38mg/l for samples far        from the leachate); while high values of TDS (in samples A and C and I), nitrate (in samples A and C)        and chloride (in samples A and I) which were due to the effect of leachate on the water quality result-        ing to contamination of these wells. Thus, adequate treatment should be carried out on wells located        close to the leachate before consumption.