Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon
Lebanon is affected by a protracted environmental and solid waste crisis that is threatening the water resources and the public health of its communities. This study is part of a public participatory research project that aims to evaluate the impacts of solid waste disposal practices on water, air,...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/5/1358 |
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| author | Michele Citton Sofie Croonenberg Anwar El Shami Ghina Chammas Sammy Kayed Najat Aoun Saliba Majdi Abou Najm Hani Tamim Salah Zeineldine Maha Makki Mohamad Kalot Issam Lakkis Mahmoud Al-Hindi |
| author_facet | Michele Citton Sofie Croonenberg Anwar El Shami Ghina Chammas Sammy Kayed Najat Aoun Saliba Majdi Abou Najm Hani Tamim Salah Zeineldine Maha Makki Mohamad Kalot Issam Lakkis Mahmoud Al-Hindi |
| author_sort | Michele Citton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lebanon is affected by a protracted environmental and solid waste crisis that is threatening the water resources and the public health of its communities. This study is part of a public participatory research project that aims to evaluate the impacts of solid waste disposal practices on water, air, and health in six villages of Lebanon, stigmatized by the presence of a regional landfill. Community mapping enabled the selection and testing of seven springs and three wells in the upstream basin and 11 wells in the lower basin, covering a broad list of chemical, physical, and bacteriological parameters. Two water quality indices (WQ-1 and WQ-2) were used to assess water quality in the study area. The results for the upstream wells and springs showed a significant bacteriological contamination, while the results in the lower wells showed high levels of conductivity, chlorides, and zinc along with the occurrence of organic micropollutants in trace concentrations. The comparison between the experimental data, with the natural background value established in the same area, did not show major differences, except for zinc and bacteriological indicators. The bacteriological contamination is most likely related to sewage infiltration into groundwater at the time of the assessment. Zinc may result from landfill leachate infiltration but also well corrosion. Saltwater intrusion affecting the coastal basin is masking the results for conductivity, chlorides, and sulfates, whereas the presence of small traces of organic micropollutants in the coastal aquifer may be related to leachate infiltration. WQI-1 results, which included bacteriological indicators, showed highly degraded water quality in the C1-C3 inner basin. In contrast, WQI-2, which includes physio-chemical indicators only, showed good water quality, slightly deteriorating in the coastal area, downstream of the Naameh landfill. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:54:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0dafb26897a2414aaa38f6f506e78118 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:54:10Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-0dafb26897a2414aaa38f6f506e781182023-11-20T00:02:40ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-05-01125135810.3390/w12051358Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, LebanonMichele Citton0Sofie Croonenberg1Anwar El Shami2Ghina Chammas3Sammy Kayed4Najat Aoun Saliba5Majdi Abou Najm6Hani Tamim7Salah Zeineldine8Maha Makki9Mohamad Kalot10Issam Lakkis11Mahmoud Al-Hindi12Nature Conservation Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonInstitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Nature Science, Math and Computer Science, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The NetherlandsNature Conservation Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonNature Conservation Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonNature Conservation Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonNature Conservation Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonDepartment of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USADepartment of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonDepartment of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonDepartment of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonOutcomes and Implementation Research Unit, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KA 66160, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Energy, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonLebanon is affected by a protracted environmental and solid waste crisis that is threatening the water resources and the public health of its communities. This study is part of a public participatory research project that aims to evaluate the impacts of solid waste disposal practices on water, air, and health in six villages of Lebanon, stigmatized by the presence of a regional landfill. Community mapping enabled the selection and testing of seven springs and three wells in the upstream basin and 11 wells in the lower basin, covering a broad list of chemical, physical, and bacteriological parameters. Two water quality indices (WQ-1 and WQ-2) were used to assess water quality in the study area. The results for the upstream wells and springs showed a significant bacteriological contamination, while the results in the lower wells showed high levels of conductivity, chlorides, and zinc along with the occurrence of organic micropollutants in trace concentrations. The comparison between the experimental data, with the natural background value established in the same area, did not show major differences, except for zinc and bacteriological indicators. The bacteriological contamination is most likely related to sewage infiltration into groundwater at the time of the assessment. Zinc may result from landfill leachate infiltration but also well corrosion. Saltwater intrusion affecting the coastal basin is masking the results for conductivity, chlorides, and sulfates, whereas the presence of small traces of organic micropollutants in the coastal aquifer may be related to leachate infiltration. WQI-1 results, which included bacteriological indicators, showed highly degraded water quality in the C1-C3 inner basin. In contrast, WQI-2, which includes physio-chemical indicators only, showed good water quality, slightly deteriorating in the coastal area, downstream of the Naameh landfill.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/5/1358water quality<i>E. coli</i>community mappinglandfillmultisource contamination |
| spellingShingle | Michele Citton Sofie Croonenberg Anwar El Shami Ghina Chammas Sammy Kayed Najat Aoun Saliba Majdi Abou Najm Hani Tamim Salah Zeineldine Maha Makki Mohamad Kalot Issam Lakkis Mahmoud Al-Hindi Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon Water water quality <i>E. coli</i> community mapping landfill multisource contamination |
| title | Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon |
| title_full | Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon |
| title_fullStr | Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon |
| title_short | Multisource Groundwater Contamination under Data Scarcity: The Case Study of Six Municipalities in the Proximity of the Naameh Landfill, Lebanon |
| title_sort | multisource groundwater contamination under data scarcity the case study of six municipalities in the proximity of the naameh landfill lebanon |
| topic | water quality <i>E. coli</i> community mapping landfill multisource contamination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/5/1358 |
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