Groundwater Chemical Status Assessment in the Area of the Waste Landfill in Chorzów—Southern Poland

Abstract

In this study, the spatiotemporal variation of water pollution near a municipal solid waste landfill in Chorzow (southern Poland) was investigated. For this purpose, analyses of electrolytic conductivity, sulfates, chlorides, nitrates, ammonium ion, and boron were performed. The landfill water pollution index (LWPI) and Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI) were calculated on the basis of groundwater monitoring results for the study area. The results indicated very high pollution in each piezometer. The value of the LWPI index for the piezometer located at the groundwater outflow from the landfill exceeded 320, and values exceeding five indicate a high risk to groundwater. In the case of the NPI index, the value reached nearly 44, which also indicates a high risk. The structure of both indices allows for the assessment of the level of threat to groundwater in areas of pollution sources. However, the NPI index highlights the contribution of parameters other than main ions to total water pollution. The use of indexes in assessing the quality of groundwater around pollution hotspots is very helpful in waste management, as it allows for determining the degree of threat to water, and thus can help in implementing additional preventive solutions.