Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment near Selected Dumpsites in a Basement Complex Terrain

Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment near Selected Dumpsites in a Basement Complex Terrain | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment near Selected Dumpsites in a Basement Complex Terrain Akintorinwa Olaoluwa James, Jayeoba Olusanya, Akinlalu Ayokunle Adewale, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7602380/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The risk of aquifer contamination is increasing in areas underlain by Basement Complex terrain due to continuous waste disposal. This study develops a composite aquifer vulnerability map for selected dumpsites using a modified version of the DRASTIC model, referred to as DRASTIC-L. Unlike the traditional DRASTIC framework, which evaluates seven hydrogeological parameters—depth to groundwater, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity—the DRASTIC-L model incorporates land use as an additional factor. Vulnerability mapping was carried out in ArcGIS using inputs from Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES), remote sensing, and hydrogeological surveys. The VES campaign comprised 56 depth soundings with electrode separations up to 65 m, while remotely sensed parameters were derived from LANDSAT 7 ETM + imagery and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The DRASTIC-L Vulnerability Index (DVI) was calculated by assigning ratings (1–10) and weights (1–5) to each parameter. The study classified the area into five vulnerability zones: very high, high, medium, low, and very low. Findings indicate that several dumpsites are located in high-vulnerability zones, posing significant risks to groundwater quality. Model validation using water sample analysis confirmed an accuracy of 76%, highlighting the importance of improved waste management practices for groundwater protection. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards DRASTIC-L Groundwater Vulnerability DRASTIC Dumpsites Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7602380","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":521697294,"identity":"c97454c8-1b0a-44ee-baa3-3f3221cd4091","order_by":0,"name":"Akintorinwa Olaoluwa 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Terrain","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"DRASTIC-L, Groundwater, Vulnerability, DRASTIC, Dumpsites","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7602380/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7602380/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe risk of aquifer contamination is increasing in areas underlain by Basement Complex terrain due to continuous waste disposal. This study develops a composite aquifer vulnerability map for selected dumpsites using a modified version of the DRASTIC model, referred to as DRASTIC-L. Unlike the traditional DRASTIC framework, which evaluates seven hydrogeological parameters—depth to groundwater, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity—the DRASTIC-L model incorporates land use as an additional factor. Vulnerability mapping was carried out in ArcGIS using inputs from Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES), remote sensing, and hydrogeological surveys. The VES campaign comprised 56 depth soundings with electrode separations up to 65 m, while remotely sensed parameters were derived from LANDSAT 7 ETM + imagery and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The DRASTIC-L Vulnerability Index (DVI) was calculated by assigning ratings (1–10) and weights (1–5) to each parameter. The study classified the area into five vulnerability zones: very high, high, medium, low, and very low. Findings indicate that several dumpsites are located in high-vulnerability zones, posing significant risks to groundwater quality. Model validation using water sample analysis confirmed an accuracy of 76%, highlighting the importance of improved waste management practices for groundwater protection.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment near Selected Dumpsites in a Basement Complex Terrain","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-29 03:13:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7602380/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"36f87406-defd-4e76-90f2-ada882dd905f","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 29th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":55450455,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":55450456,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology"},{"id":55450457,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-03T11:08:26+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-29 03:13:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7602380","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7602380","identity":"rs-7602380","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}