Application of Hydropedological Information to Conceptualize Pollution Migration From Dry Sanitation Systems in the Ntabelanga Catchment Area, South Africa

Abstract

The hydrological response of catchments is determined by the combined hydropedological response of hillslopes. In the Ntabelanga area, 56% of the households use pit latrines and untreated drinking groundwater supplies. Soil morphological properties and their spatial distribution were used to conceptualize hillslope hydropedological behaviour to determine the fate of Escherichia coli and faecal coliform from 4 pit latrines. Four hillslopes below the pit latrines (MT1, MT2, MT3, and MT4) occur above first-order tributaries to the Tsitsa River, South Africa, were studied. The studied sites are adjacent to the proposed footprint of a planned multi-purpose storage dam, Ntabelanga. Apedal soils, without morphological evidence of saturation, dominated the upper slopes of MT1 and the lower slopes of MT2, thus promoting vertical drainage. Hydromorphic properties were observed at the soil/bedrock interface in the lower parts of MT1 and the entire slope of MT4. This signifies slowly permeable bedrock and the occurrence of lateral flow. High clay contents and strong structured soils were dominant in MT3, indicating slow internal drainage with a large adsorption capacity. The conceptual models derived from morphological properties were verified using soil physical and organic pollutant measurements. In general, hydraulic conductivity values support the interpretations made from soil morphological measurements. Faecal coliforms and E coli bacteria counts were mostly <1 CFU/g soil in MT1, MT2, and MT4; hillslope migrations were detected in MT3 posing pollution risks.