Groundwater Vulnerability and Cemetery Urbanization Areas

Water analysis and hydrological and geotechnical investigations were carried out in order to evaluate the influence of the decomposition of human bodies buried in a cemetery on aquifer vulnerability. Data collection on the unconfined aquifer from 2007 to 2018 took place at three monitoring wells built inside the cemetery area. Water quality monitoring through these years was evaluated for 25 analytical parameters (20 physicochemicals and 5 microbiologicals). Lab reports from neighboring cisterns located outside the cemetery area and carried out by the local sewage water company were also included in this work. Multivariate analyses from the water data showed a strong correlation between both iron contents and turbidity and the rainfall indicating a direct consequence of leaching from the soil (oxisol). According to the physical characterization data of the soil the unsaturated area above the aquifer favors the absorption of the body residuals by the soil, preventing it from reaching the aquifer. This work also found that collected water in areas outside the cemeteries and surrounding dwelling areas do not comply with federal norms for drinking water. In a conclusion, the water samples collected inside cemetery wells present low vulnerability to both subsurface and underground contamination.