Remote online monitoring of groundwater quality near burial sites for determination of maintenance priority

Abstract

Many concerns have been voiced concerning the potential for contamination of groundwater in the vicinity of active burial sites for carcasses. The Korean Ministry of Environment has developed a protocol to screen active burial sites based on monitored groundwater data that might lead to the spreading of pathogens and/or chemicals. This methodology is, however, not effective due to the considerable time and cost. In our study, we proposed that electrical conductivity of groundwater can be used as an indicator to continuously monitor groundwater in the vicinity of active burial site and screen for burial sites that are causing contamination. This technique can be adapted for remote monitoring based on interpretation of long-term monitoring data of monitored wells and background concentration in the vicinity of burial sites.

Keywords:

• Burial sites
• Electrical conductivity
• Groundwater
• Remote monitoring
• Sensor
• Water quality

Acknowledgment

The research was supported by the GAIA Project through the Korea Ministry of Environment.