Strategies for protecting ground water used for human consumption in the Guadalquivir basin
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.124.1.001Keywords:
geographical information system, groundwater, Guadalquivir basin, protection, Water Framework DirectiveAbstract
We propose a way of defining safeguard zones for groundwater protection according to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Taking into account the peculiarities of the groundwater bodies in the region of the Mediterranean arch, we chose to conduct our study in the Guadalquivir basin in southern Spain, an area of special interest because it combines the influence of rain fronts and the mixed characteristics of both Mediterranean and Atlantic climates, together with the fact that a large percentage of water for human consumption is provided by groundwater, especially at the head of the basin, where this percentage may account for up to 80%.
Safeguard zones are defined by an initial delimitation of quality-protection perimeters using the Reduced DRASTIC and COP methods, designed specifically for detrital and karstic aquifers respectively, to assess the potential impact of the existing pressures upon them and study their intrinsic vulnerability. An analysis of all this spatial information using a geographical information system allowed us to test and validate the method used and to obtain an initial definition of safeguard zones in the basin in question.
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