Assessment of changes in the quality of ground water in the area of landfill site in Poczesna (South Poland) using the LWPI index

Municipal waste landfill is a potential, or actual, source of groundwater pollution. Even landfill with a ground containment system can generate leachate that will migrate to aquifers. In this context, it is important to monitor water and leachate and to rationally analyze the existing situation. The purpose of this article was to assess groundwater contamination in the region of the municipal landfill site in Poczesna (Southern Poland) using the Landfill Water Pollution Index (LWPI). Certain physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Hg, were analyzed from samples from six piezometers in the years 2015-2019. The LWPI index values in the groundwater samples ranged from 0.97 to 3.11 (P<0.05). Indicator values that are within the range 2-5 reflect poor water quality with a high visible landfill impact, and those >5 suggest strongly polluted water with a very high landfill impact. The results of this study indicated that the quality of the groundwater in the area around the landfill was better in the case of the Jurassic aquifer compared to the Quaternary aquifer. The results provided by this index are very useful in the context of a quick assessment of groundwater quality. For the purposes of further risk analyses, it is important to consider other variables (chemical components) which can influence groundwater quality in the region of municipal landfill sites.