GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE MORELIA DUMP, 10 YEARS LATER

The landfill of Morelia, Michoacan located in the Morelia-Capula sub basin in central-western Mexico, operated as a dump from 1997 to 2007 without a structure engineered and designed to control the generation in situ of biogas and leachates. The entire basin is occupied by new urban expansion and the area is strategic in natural resources being one of the main recharge zones in the sub basin

Structural, stratigraphical, and geophysical analyses together with geohydrological and water analyses were performed. The results indicate that the subsurface strata consist of highly fractured basaltic lava flows (E-W fault and fracture system trend) and sand-size cineritic material with high permeability and porosity. Analysis of dry and rainy season from leacheate ponds and groundwater of 40 water wells existing around the landfill showed high concentrations of Ca, Pb and As exceeding the Mexican environmental regulations.

Understanding of the composition of the leachate from landfills, the geological risk of their diffusion and the exposure risks this represents to the population in nearby settlements can be of aid to solid waste management planners, policymakers and lawmakers involved in the improvement of solid waste management plans and regulation.