Application of the GOD method for assessing aquifer vulnerability to contamination in the city of Maceió, AL
Abstract
Groundwater is an important resource for water supply and urban development, which requires assessing its vulnerability to contamination. This study evaluated the intrinsic vulnerability of aquifers in Maceió, Alagoas, using the GOD method, with data from the Groundwater Information System (SIAGAS). Of the 1,173 wells registered in the municipality, 44 had the information required for the parameters G (groundwater occurrence/degree of confinement), O (overlying strata), and D (depth to groundwater table). Because clayey material predominates in the unsaturated zone, parameter O was kept constant at 0.4, so that the spatial variability of the index was determined mainly by G and D. The indices were spatialized by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation in QGIS and reclassified according to the classes of Foster et al. (2006). Insignificant and low vulnerability predominated, corresponding to 18.2% and 70.5% of the wells, respectively; 11.3% showed medium vulnerability, and no high or extreme classes were identified. The wells were heterogeneously distributed, concentrated in the southern and southwestern portions, which affects the spatial support of the interpolation and limits the representativeness of the results in areas with less data. The constant value of O also restricted the representation of lithological variability. Furthermore, intrinsic vulnerability does not account for specific contamination sources and should be interpreted together with land use and occupation conditions. It is concluded that low vulnerability predominated, but the results should be interpreted considering the limitations of the database and the approach adopted.
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