What term describes a liquid that has passed through a landfill and has extracted dissolved and suspended matter from it?

• A. Groundwater
• B. Leachate
• C. Filtrate
• D. Aquifers

Answer: (B)

Leachate is the liquid formed when water percolates through landfill waste and leaches out dissolved substances and fine particles. As moisture moves downward, it interacts with the waste and picks up organic compounds, metals, salts, and suspended solids, becoming a highly contaminated liquid that must be collected and treated to protect soil and groundwater. Groundwater and aquifers are natural underground water sources, not the liquid produced by waste in a landfill. Filtrate is a general term for liquid that has passed through a filter, not specifically through landfill material. Leachate best describes this scenario because it captures the contamination generated by waste contact.