Land Use Suitability Assessment of the Zanjan's Landfill Site Using Hydrogeological Data and Geoelectrical Surveys

In this study, climatological, geological, hydrogeological and geophysical investigations were carried out in order to assess the environmental suitability of a waste landfill located 13 km southwest of Zanjan. Achieving this aim was based on developing a GIS-based model, geoelectrical surveying and the measurement of infiltration rate using a double-ring infiltrometer in the landfill. The assessment of the vulnerability of the aquifer to pollution showed that the landfill is situated in a moderate vulnerable area. Double ring permeability tests confirm the landfill is an acceptable site showing a relatively low permeability rate. In this study, using ten vertical electrical soundings in Schlumberger array, it is shown that the electrical resistivity of deposits in the landfill varies from 20-35 Ω-m for fresh and wet dumps to 120-200 Ω-m for dry and old dumps. The leachate plume has a width of about one km and spreads to a depth of about 55 m. The shape of the plume shows the leachate migration is towards the northeast. Considering the estimated groundwater depth at more than 86 m and calculated infiltration rate equal to 1.95 mm/hour, it can be concluded that the contaminant plume will not reach the water table up to 2024.