Application of the electrical resistivity method in studies of contamination in cemetery - case of Vila Rezende - Piracicaba/SP – Brazil

This paper shows the results obtained in the application of the electrical resistivity method, using the technique of the vertical electric survey (VES) and electric profiling (EP) (Schlumberger and dipole – dipole arrays), in the investigation underground contamination for - necrochorume in Vila Rezende’s cemetery, Piracicaba - Sao Paulo, Brazil. The results indicated a depth of the water table between 2 and 6m, with two directions of underground flow, SW and SE. The areas with low resistivity, presented in the geoelectrics sections, demonstrated that the contamination has connection with the depth of the water table and with the time of burial. The applied methods in this work demonstrated as an important instrument for evaluation of the environmental quality in cemeteries.