Abstract
The article introduced an upgraded approach to assessing the groundwater vulnerability to nitrate pollution. By using the results of field measurements and process-based models Outputs, author takes into account effects of nitrogen biogeochemical processes, that were hitherto underestimated in the evaluation schemes. The upgraded methodological self-validated approach to vulnerability assessment in Lower Savinja Valley case study increases reliability and thus effectiveness of decision-making in the water management. This was achieved by using the process-based models Outputs in the new pattern Classification schemes with the predictions of pollution phenomena. Spatial prediction of groundwater nitrate pollution probability and vulnerability Classification of the study area in Lower Savinja Valley was assessed by weights-of-evidence model (WofE). The increased degree of probability for the groundwater contamination with nitrates was determined for 62.5 percent of the aquifer area of the Lower Savinja Valley. About 27 percent of the most nitrate vulnerable areas in Lower Savinja Valley need groundwater nitrate mitigation through land-use measures and public sewage System construction.
Highlights
Groundwater vulnerability maps are an important tool of the water management decision-making process
Information on groundwater vulnerability has been required by the Nitrate Directive (Official Journal of the European Communities, 1991b) and the Urban Waste Water Directive (Official Journal of the European Communities, 1991a) for nitrate pollution management and by the Water Framework Directive (Official Journal of the European Communities, 2000) for programme-of-measures planning
Conditional independence among the evidential themes used in the model, as an important assumption of the weights-of-evidence model (WofE) model was calculated at 0.93, being within the range 1±0.15 that generally indicates no dependence amongst evidential themes (Baker et al, 2007)
Summary
Groundwater vulnerability maps are an important tool of the water management decision-making process. Most of the previous groundwater vulnerability assessments used a variety of parametric point count methods with a relative rating for the potential of groundwater contamination, e.g. the DRASTIC index, developed as a linear combination of some of the intrinsic properties of aquifers (Aller et al, 1987) or the SINTACS index, adapted to conditions in the Mediterranean region (Civita, 1990). These methods require validation with field measurements, such as a tracer test, groundwater residence studies or investigation of actual pollution incidents. These methods require validation with field measurements, such as a tracer test, groundwater residence studies or investigation of actual pollution incidents. Gogu and Dassargues (2000) identified the integration of results from process-based models in vulnerability mapping techniques as a new research challenge in groundwater vulnerability assessment
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