Groundwater vulnerability and pollution risk assessment with disparate models in karstic, porous, and fissured rock aquifers using remote sensing techniques and GIS in Anthemountas basin, Greece

Abstract

Disparate methods of intrinsic groundwater vulnerability and remote sensing were applied in Anthemountas river basin (North Greece), covering an area of 374 km2. Three types of aquifers are present within the basin: porous, karstic, and aquifers of fissured rocks. Vulnerability and risk pollution maps were produced using the DRASTIC, EPIK, AVI, and DRASTIC-FM methods in a Geographic information system (GIS) context, and the results were compared and evaluated. The methods used different numbers of parameters with different weightings and produced relatively different results. The original DRASTIC method underestimates the vulnerability degrees in fissured rock aquifers, while in porous aquifers the discretization is poor, in contrast with the AVI method which gives more satisfactory results. The vulnerability of the fissured rock aquifer as estimated by the DRASTIC-FM method shows significant differences compared to the original DRASTIC method. Groundwater pollution risk is strongly dependant on vulnerability, and consequently the use of specialized vulnerability methods provides representative and more accurate results.