The groundwater discharge in the Mediterranean karst coastal zones and freshwater tapping: set problems and adopted solutions. Case studies

Abstract

In the karstic regions of the Mediterranean coastal zones the groundwater discharge and its outcrops—the coastal and submarine springs—represent the most typical natural phenomena of littoral karst, the economic potential of which is significant. The case studies discussed in this paper concern the problems of freshwater tapping in karst coastal zones along the Mediterranean littoral. Owing to the geological and hydrogeological approach, the set problems and adopted solutions involve two most important tasks: (1) the regulation of groundwater flow in the tapping facilities and (2) the control system of saltwater encroachment in a larger protection zone, between the coast and the site of tapping facilities.