Abstract
Complex mechanisms of pollution transport in karst underground and the fact that contaminated cave water can be a health hazard if used for human consumption, imposes the need for monitoring the cave water quality. In order to determine groundwater quality, water samples were collected in four caves in Ravni kotari (Croatia) and analyzed for microbiological and chemical indicators of pollution. Microbiological analyses showed increased concentration of various coliform bacteria at all four locations. Probable sources of pollution are inadequately built septic tanks in nearby villages and bat guano in caves with bat colonies. Chemical analyses indicated values of possible pollutants to be much lower than the permitted values, which reflects the fact that agriculture, as a frequent source of chemical pollution in rural regions, is not as developed as it used to be, thus posing no serious threat to the groundwater quality.
Highlights
Due to its geological and geomorphic characteristics karst is distinguished by extreme heterogeneity that reflects on complex hydrological and hydrogeological settings
According to ASTM (2002), karst aquifer is characterised by tertiary porosity
Microbiological analyses proved that the water at all four locations is contaminated with coliform bacteria
Summary
Due to its geological and geomorphic characteristics karst is distinguished by extreme heterogeneity that reflects on complex hydrological and hydrogeological settings. The main topic of this paper is the analysis of microbiological and chemical properties of the groundwater in two caves (Izvor Karišnice and Bijela voda) and two pits (Barina jama and Bonsai) in the Ravni kotari area, in order to determine groundwater quality and the sources of the cave water contamination. These caves were chosen because of the presence of water streams, the vicinity of settlements, and their accessibility. Utvrđena je i provodljivost vode (HRN EN 27888:2008*), njezina pH vrijednost (HRN ISO 10523:2009*) te koncentracija klorida uz pomoć titracije srebrnim nitratom s kromatskim indikatorom (Mohrova metoda) (HRN ISO 9297:1998)
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