Movement of contaminants in the unsaturated zone of the subsurface from a low flush on-site sanitation system in Ivory Park, Johannesburg

Abstract

This study measured the movement of contaminants in the unsaturated zone of the subsurface from a low-flush on-site sanitation system (also known as an aqua-privy) at three sites in Ivory Park, which at the time that the fieldwork was done was a newly-established informal settlement in Johannesburg. The aim of the study was to provide field data on the movement of contaminants from this sanitation system in a low-income area, in these climatic and subsurface conditions, and to counter a perception that on-site sanitation will inevitably cause pollution. Subsurface conditions consisted nominally of a 1 m thick layer of silty sand with denser gravel at the bottom of it, underlain by a stiff sandy clay (residual granite), with the natural water table more than 15 m below ground surface. In summary, it can be deduced that movement in the unsaturated zone of bacterial indicators, nitrogen and phosphorus from low-flush on-site sanitation systems in lowincome areas is very limited, as long as the effluent remains in the subsurface.

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