Water represents a basic human resource; it is also important for recreational activities, transport, irrigation system in agriculture etc. Ancient civilisations knew its value, so they invented different ways of collecting underground water for the times of need - one of them was building underground dams.
Underground dams are already present in several countries across the globe, Slovenia, however, is not one of them. The purpose of my master thesis was to collect as much information as possible about the nature of underground dams and to determine best places where they could be built. With the help of available literature, various calculations and map plotting, I was trying to evaluate if it would be possible to raise groundwater with the implementation of an underground dam in Pomurje region.
Based on the analysis I had made during this research, I came to the conclusion that it is possible to raise groundwater with using underground dams. That being said, we must also take into the account what type of dam will we choose especially since the plan to construct a nonpermeable or semi-permeable dam depends on the suitability of the site, typology of the terrain as well as the choice of materials used for the construction.
The analysis also showed that due to present hydrogeological conditions and undemanding contruction, it is possible to carrry out a semi-permeable dam with an injection curtain, in the western, central and south-eastern Pomurje region, at the transition area between open and closed aquifers in the central part of the region. Therefore, groundwater could rise in the range of 2.0 m to 3.5 m.
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