The assessment of the effect of landfill leachate on ground-water quality—a case study. El-Akader landfill site—north Jordan

In the present study, the effect of the leachate from the major landfill in northern Jordan, El-Akader on the ground-water was investigated. Various physical and chemical parameters were estimated, this includes pH, total hardness, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids for the physical parameters. The chemical parameters included are major cations, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, and K+. Major anions, HCO−3, NO−23, Cl−, and SO−24, major ions PO−34, and heavy metals, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd, and Zn. The landfill leachate is a result of both solid waste and septage waste. El-Akader dump site receive both solid waste and waste-water, the average septage volume received at El-Akader site is 2305 m3day−1, and almost 217 tankers with the capacity of 11 m3discharge their loads at El-Akader site. The total volume of solid waste dumped into the site was estimated to about 400 tonnes day−1. An area almost 6 km from the landfill site following the ground-water flow direction towards the north-eastern wards was covered. The results showed that the landfill leachates constitute a serious threat to the local aquifers.