Evaluation of a municipal landfill site in Southern Spain with GIS-aided methodology

Landfill siting should take into account a wide range of territorial and legal factors in order to reduce negative impacts on the environment. This article describes a landfill siting method, which is based on EVIAVE, a landfill diagnosis method developed at the University of Granada. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology is also used to generate spatial data for site assessment. Landfill site suitability is assessed on a scale based on territorial indices that measure the risk of contamination for the following five environmental components: surface water, groundwater, atmosphere, soil, and human health. The method described in this article has been used to evaluate an area in Granada (Spain) where there is a currently operating landfill. The results obtained show that suitable locations for the disposal of municipal waste were successfully identified. The low environmental index values reflect the suitability of this landfill site as well as its minimal negative impacts on the environment.