<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The impact of individual septic tank effluent on groundwater quality was investigated in the rural area of the Ain Soltane municipality in Algeria. This area has an important number of individual septic tanks, and it is devoid of a drinking water supply and sewerage systems. The septic tank is a pre-treatment solution of sewage by bacteria living without oxygen (anaerobic). The alluvial aquifer in this area is covered by a layer of good permeability on the surface, which can pollute groundwater by vertical transport of pollutants through the soil, including microbial contamination. Groundwater samples were collected from 33 wells in the dry period of 2016. The monitoring of groundwater quality has shown a significant degree of organic and inorganic pollution in the majority of wells, with very high concentrations of sulphate and chloride exceeding 450 mg/l and 250 mg/l respectively. The analyzes also show the presence of bacterial germs in the groundwater of which the origin is faecal (faecal coliform densities are above 10 organisms per 100 ml, and the Total Streptococcus is more than 240 colonies per 100 ml). Monitoring confirms the contamination of these wells from septic tanks and that it was moving into groundwater, which makes it unfit for drinking due to the pathogenic germs. This poses a major problem for public health. This study has identified the effects of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in this area.</p></abstract>

The impact of individual septic tank effluent on groundwater quality was investigated in the rural area of the Ain Soltane municipality in Algeria. This area has an important number of individual septic tanks, and it is devoid of a drinking water supply and sewerage systems. The septic tank is a pre-treatment solution of sewage by bacteria living without oxygen (anaerobic). The alluvial aquifer in this area is covered by a layer of good permeability on the surface, which can pollute groundwater by vertical transport of pollutants through the soil, including microbial contamination. Groundwater samples were collected from 33 wells in the dry period of 2016. The monitoring of groundwater quality has shown a significant degree of organic and inorganic pollution in the majority of wells, with very high concentrations of sulphate and chloride exceeding 450 mg/l and 250 mg/l respectively. The analyzes also show the presence of bacterial germs in the groundwater of which the origin is faecal (faecal coliform densities are above 10 organisms per 100 ml, and the Total Streptococcus is more than 240 colonies per 100 ml). Monitoring confirms the contamination of these wells from septic tanks and that it was moving into groundwater, which makes it unfit for drinking due to the pathogenic germs. This poses a major problem for public health. This study has identified the effects of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in this area.

Human impact of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in the rural area of Ain Soltane (Ain Defla), Algieria

Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The impact of individual septic tank effluent on groundwater quality was investigated in the rural area of the Ain Soltane municipality in Algeria. This area...

Human impact of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in the rural area of Ain Soltane (Ain Defla), Algieria

Published Online: Jun 06, 2019

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Sep 18, 2018

Accepted: Apr 08, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2019-0007

Keywords
groundwater quality, septic tank effluent, pathogenic bacteria, Ain Soltane

© 2019 Abdelkader Bouderbala, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Human impact of septic tank effluent on groundwater quality in the rural area of Ain Soltane (Ain Defla), Algieria

Published Online: Jun 06, 2019

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Sep 18, 2018

Accepted: Apr 08, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2019-0007

Keywordsgroundwater quality, septic tank effluent, pathogenic bacteria, Ain Soltane

© 2019 Abdelkader Bouderbala, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
groundwater quality, septic tank effluent, pathogenic bacteria, Ain Soltane