Influence of Effluent Discharge on Water Quality and Level for Chalk Aquifer in Hampshire, South-East England

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Influence of Effluent Discharge on Water Quality and Level for Chalk Aquifer in Hampshire, South-East England

Original Article, C10
Liman Muhammed Machina, Chukwuemeka Kingsley Egbuna, Musa Abba Jato
Journal. Civil Eng. Urban. 3(2): 62-72. 2013

Abstract: Carbonate rocks form important subsurface aquifers in many areas around the world, especially north-west Europe where the Chalk is a primary source of potable water. Chalk is the most widely exploited aquifers in the United Kingdom for public water supply and Chalk groundwater play an important role in the maintenance of flow both in natural and international hydrological systems. Data on water level and effluent discharge concentration of extracted pore-water from core logged at various depths from boreholes (within the Morestead Road Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) discharge site) were investigated to determine Chalk groundwater quality changes due to the effluent discharge and the discharge volume of nearby New Alresford site correlated with measured depths to groundwater levels. It was observed that recharge occur mainly by matric flow through pore spaces and matric pulse, while in very few cases flow may have been enhanced by fissures. However, during winter months, high volumes of effluent discharge in addition to intense rainfall sessions cause a rapid decrease in depth to the groundwater level and keep the unsaturated zone matric potentials relatively high. This we suggest to be as a result of fracture flow initiated more quickly in response to the rainfall events than in normal ‘undisturbed’ chalk. Although the concentration of chloride and nitrate were relatively high, infiltration of water through the unsaturated zone helped reduce the concentration of inorganic ions as a result of dilution. Therefore, this work concluded that recharge of sewage effluent to the Chalk of the Hampshire area is an effective and practical way of recovering and reusing water sustainably, representing valuable contribution to the conservation of water resources.
Keywords: Chalk, Borehole, Effluent Discharge, Aquifers, Groundwater

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