Inorganic fluxes in watersheds hosting old landfills

Natural attenuation by degradation may be substantial for organic pollutants in leachate plumes, but most inorganic species will be subject to only minor attenuation in the aquifer. However inorganic species as chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfate etc. enter the groundwqater also from other sources than the landfill. This be precipitation, soil weathering, use of fertilizer and use of road deicing chemicals. The significance of these other sources is being mapped by monitoring of groundwater quality just below different land uses within two watersheds also containing unlined landfills. The contributions from the landfills are also being assessed. The preliminary results indicate that deicing chemicals and agriculture contribute significantly to the load of inorganic species on the groundwater.
The project will finish the field activities in the Fall of 1997. Two international journal papers are in preparation. The project is funded by the Groundwater Research Centre.