Impact of land use on karst water resources : a case study of the Kupa (Kolpa) transboundary river catchment

Selak, Ana (author), Boljat, Ivana (author), Lukač Reberski, Jasmina (author), Terzić, Josip (author), Čenčur Curk, Barbara (author)

This paper presents a qualitative approach for assessing land-use pressures on the water resources of a transboundary Dinaric karst catchment of the Kupa River in Southeast Europe. Spatial analyses of the water quality indices for surface water and groundwater were carried out in a GIS environment, as well as a detailed assessment of man-made hazards based on recommendations of COST Action 620. The produced maps provide an insight into the qualitative status of water resources at a regional scale by indicating areas of potential negative impacts of land use through the identification of point and diffuse sources of pollution. Higher values of the water quality indices for surface water and groundwater are observed in lowland areas, karst plateaus and poljes, where the impacts of anthropogenic activities such as agriculture and quarries take place on karstified permeable carbonate rocks. Hazard assessment showed how transport infrastructure induces a low hazard level. Settlement areas without proper sewerage systems impose moderate hazard levels, while direct wastewater discharges into groundwater and waste illegally disposed in karst swallow holes and caves located near settlements were classified as having high hazard levels. The applied methods proved to be suitable even in challenging karst environments where the complex properties and structure make the exploration and monitoring of groundwater resources difficult and scarce.

• Language: English
• Keywords: water quality index, hazard assessment, COST Action 620, water resources, land use, Kupa (Kolpa) River catchment, karst hydrogeology, CAMARO-D project
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 21 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 11, art. 3226
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-134718
• UDC: 55
• ISSN on article: 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w12113226
• COBISS.SI-ID: 38136579
• Publication date in RUL: 27.01.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Water
• Shortened title: Water
• Publisher: Molecular Diversity Preservation International - MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4441
• COBISS.SI-ID: 36731653

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 18.11.2020

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: European Regional Development Fund
• Name: Cooperating towards Advanced Management Routines for land use impacts on the water regime in the Danube River basin
• Acronym: CAMARO-D

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance
• Name: Cooperating towards Advanced Management Routines for land use impacts on the water regime in the Danube River basin
• Acronym: CAMARO-D