Análise de vulnerabilidade intrísica do Aquífero Barreiras a partir de dados hidrogeofísicos - área do baixo curso do Rio Maxaranguape-RN

Abstract

The integrated assessment of an aquifer intrinsic vulnerability constitutes an extremely important tool as a subsidy to the establishment of public policies for the preservation, protection and sustainable hydro-environmental use of an underground water source. In this aspect, the main purpose of this work was the elaboration of vulnerability mappings based on hydrogeophysical data, aiming at the identification and delimitation of subareas with different degrees of protection associated with different vulnerabilities of the Barreiras Aquifer in the lower course area of the Maxaranguape River, Northeast of Brazil. These mappings were elaborated using the following methodologies such as Longitudinal Electrical Conductance, GOD (G – groundwater hydraulic confinement; O – overlaying strata; D – depth to groundwater table) and Aquifer Vulnerability Indexes (AVI), which are based on lithological, hydraulic and geoelectric parameters, as well as the thickness of the unsaturated zone. The results show that the domains delimited by vulnerability indexes are approximately concordant with each other. In general terms, the moderate, high to extremely high vulnerability classes cover almost the entire area, delineating both the central and the northern and southern portions of the investigated area, according to values lower than 1 of log c and 5 mS, in the AVI and Longitudinal Conductance methodologies, respectively; and magnitudes higher than 0.4, according to the GOD methodology. Therefore, the study area exhibits a substantial susceptibility to the contamination of its groundwater, mainly due to the occurrence of sedimentary formations with high permeability and reduced depths of the water table, facilitating the percolation of possible contaminant loads towards the aquifer.