Use of gis for analysis of vulnerability to the groundwater contamination of sub watersheds of the Vermelho River-GO (Brazil)
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Nunes Amaral, A.K.
1UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE GOIÁS Email: karocana@hotmail.com
Abstract
Groundwater is a vital natural resource for economic supply in urban and rural areas, drinking water is safe and plays a critical role in human welfare. But increasingly is subject to contamination due to increased urbanization, industrial development, agricultural activities and mining companies. Vulnerability studies of aquifers are quite used to protect groundwater, and with the help of technologies of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming established as an important tool for the stipulation of goals, plans and actions for the management of affected environments contamination by human or natural, as in the case of watershed. The study area of this work is a sub watershed of the Vermelho River, in the municipality of Goiás, Goiás (Brazil). The area has about 729.247 km², with most of the area converted to pasture. The objective of this study was to create and analyze maps of the physical environment and pollution vulnerability of sub watershed of the Vermelho River. To compile the data we used the Groundwater Aquifer of Ocorrence Overall Deph of Water (GOD) method, which takes into account three parameters: the type of aquifer lithology and the degree of consolidation of the vadose zone and the depth of the aquifer and the index of Pollutant and Its Origin Surcharge Hydraulically (POSH). For the generation of maps ArcGis 10.1 software was used, through which it can obtain the vulnerability of the watershed, which varied from negligible to mean, according to the classification method. The identification of these areas with the greatest potential fragility, contributes to a better conception of planning guidelines in the region, in view of its environmental importance to the region.
Keywords
Vulnerability of aquifer; Geographic Information System; Vermelho River