Contamination Susceptibility of Serra Geral Aquifer at Municipal Scale in Brazil
21 Pages Posted: 20 May 2020 Publication Status: Published
Abstract
In the present work, the focus is on groundwater and its susceptibility to contamination. For this purpose, a list of data concerning the wells located in the study region was elaborated, obtained from the Groundwater Information System (GIS) of the Geological Survey of Brazil. Moreover, it was constructed data about land use occupancy from United States Geological Survey (USGS) images. In order to determine local susceptibility to contamination, a cross-referencing of data was obtained based on of the Susceptibility Index (SI) methodologies and the POSH system. The results showed that the SI of the municipality of Sarandi - RS ranged from very low (37%) to high (76%). Included on these, 12% is in the very low range, 17,6% in low, 13% in moderate to low, 13,2% in moderate to high, and 44% in high. Furthermore, potential sources of pollutant load are concentrated in areas where the contamination SI has scored from moderate to high. It is concluded that the methodologies used are important tools that benefits and facilitate environmental impact assessments, enabling management for the purpose of protecting and preserving water resources in general.
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