Groundwater Contamination

Muhammad Younas
M.Phil Geophysics
Q.A.U Islamabad
 Ground Water
 the water that lies beneath the Earth's surface,
filling the porous spaces in soil, sediment, and
rock.
 source of ground water is rain and snow that falls
to the ground a portion of which percolates down
into the ground to become ground water
WATER QUALITY
Water quality refers to the physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of water.
It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the
requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any
human need or purpose.
Water quality is primarily from two factors.
 1. Contamination (natural)
 2. Pollution (unnatural)
TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS

 TDS is referred as a basic measure of water quality.

 TDS: total dissolved solids is the amount of solids in mg/lit that

remain when water sample is evaporated.

 Water classification based on TDS

 Class TDS(Mg/Lit)
 Fresh 0-1000
 Brackish 1,000-10,000
 Saline10,000-100,000
 Brine >100,000
Drinking Water Supply Lines Conditions in Pakistan

Water is contaminated
with
 Lead
 Cyanides
 Mercury
 Hospital Waste
 Pharma Waste
 Municipal Sewage
It has been estimated that
around 2,000 million gallons of
sewage is being discharged to
surface water bodies every day
in Pakistan (Pak-SCEA 2006)
Tanneries
It may take hundreds or even
thousands of years for pollutants
such as toxic metals from the
tanneries to be flushed out of a
contaminated aquifer
Groundwater Contamination
Traditionally groundwater has been
assumed to be free from contamination,
however, numerous discoveries in recent
years of toxic chemicals in well water have
proven this assumption to be false.

The detrimental alteration of the naturally

occurring physical, thermal, chemical, or
biological quality of groundwater.
 Common Sources of
Groundwater
Pollution/Contamination
 Leaks from storage tanks and pipes
 Leaks from waste disposal sites (landfills)
 Seepage from septic systems
 Accidental spills
 Agricultural activities
 Intrusion of salt water
 Mine spoils and tailings
 Irrigation
 Injection wells
 Acid mine drainage
Petroleum hydrocarbons
like Diesel, Gasoline, Jet
fuel, Motor oil, Detergents
BP offshore drilling rig (Deep-water Horizon) April 20, 2010; 50
miles off Louisiana
Spilling 5,000 barrels/day = 200,000 gal/day
 Leaks from waste disposal sites
(landfills)
 Landfills contaminate groundwater when
rain water leaks into aquifers below the
landfill.
 Water percolating through landfills
produces leachate.
 Leachate may contain undesirable or toxic
chemicals.
Factors Affecting the Composition of Landfill
Leachate Include:


Landfill material:
 biodegradable or non-biodegradable it
soluble or insoluble
 Organic or inorganic
 Liquid or solid
 Toxic or nontoxic
A municipal landfill
Leachate and Groundwater
Contamination
 The risk of groundwater contamination by
any leachate is determined by the following
factors:
 Depth of the water table

 Concentration of contaminations

 Permeability of the geologic strata, type of

geologic strata
 Toxicity of contaminants

 Direction of groundwater flow

Agricultural activities
 Fertilizers are used for agricultural .
 chemicals are present in fertilizers.
 Nutrient leaching from agricultural soil into
a ground water is a major problem.
 Nitrate and phosphate concentrations
become higher.
 These chemical can find their way to move
downward toward ground water when rain
or irrigation water leaches the poisons
downward into the soil
Leachig
of
nitrate to
groundw
ater

Fertilizing
Seepage from septic systems
 Septic systems are primarily located in rural
areas not served by sanitary sewers.
 Homes not connected to municipal sewer
systems usually use septic systems to
dispose of wastewater from toilets and
drains .
A typical household septic system consists of
a septic tank, a distribution box, and a drain
field
 liquid and solid wastes from septic tanks,
sewage plants, and animal feedlots and
slaughterhouses may contain bacteria,
viruses, and parasites that can contaminate
ground water. Waste water drains first into a
septic tank where solids are separated from
the liquid. Light solids such as fats rise to
the surface, heavy solids sink to the bottom.
 The light solids remain until the tank is
cleaned. Some of the heavy solids are
decomposed by bacteria, some remain until
the tank is cleaned.
 Relatively clear water from the tank drains
into a field of pipes, the drain field or leach
field, which slowly leak water into the
ground.
 Most percolates downward and enters the
water table.
 Septic systems can contribute to source
water contamination for various reasons,
including improper sitting, poor design,
faulty construction, and incorrect operation
and maintenance
Thank you