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Protection of Drinking Water Resources Through Integrated Land-Use Management Approach

Land-use practices can be considered as one of the main factors that impact and modify hydrological and hydrogeological systems, therefore affecting the quality and quantity of drinking water resources. Throughout Interreg Danube project CAMARO-D (Cooperating towards Advanced MAnagement ROutines for land use impacts on the water regime in the Danube river basin) and Interreg Central Europe project PROLINE-CE (Efficient Practices and Land Use Management Integrating Water Resources Protection and Non- structural Flood Mitigation Experiences) interdisciplinary approach is fostered with the intention of investigating intricate relations and impacts of land-use activities, climate changes and floods on drinking water resources. Transnational project partnership is comprised of research institutions covering a broad spectrum of affiliation, such as foresters, agronomists, hydrogeologists, spatial planners and ministries in order to address the common environmental issues in synergic manner. Drinking water resources in Croatia, generally considered being of good quality and quantity, are coming use increasing pressure due to improper land-use activities, climate changes and certain deficiencies in management (HRVATSKE VODE, 2016). As a response, within CAMARO-D and PROLINE-CE, specific areas are chosen for further investigation: (i) karstic part of Kupa River catchment and (ii) parts of South Dalmatia (from the Imotsko polje to discharge zone: Prud-Klokun- Mandina mlinica springs). Investigated areas are characterized by karst topography, with very complex hydrogeological forms and features, such as poljes, ponors, estavelles and preferential groundwater flow paths (LUKAČ REBERSKI et al., 2016). Aquifers in such karst terrains usually have high intrinsic vulnerability due to the lack of overlaying layers. In investigated areas the quality and quantity of drinking water resources is at risk due to impacts of adverse seasonal floods, hydrotechnical objects which have strongly modified hydrological systems and water regime, inadequate land-use practices and unfavourable climate change scenarios which point out to changes in trends of precipitation, temperature and discharge in near future. Locally, other issues include intensive agricultural activity in terms of plant protection products over-use (Figure 1.), high losses in water supply systems, illegal waste dumps, and inadequate collection and treatment of wastewaters (TERZIĆ & FRANGEN, 2017). In attempt to identify negative impacts of various types of land use, as well as to improve understanding of hydrogeological and hydrological processes in investigated areas, in situ measurements of physio-chemical parameters and hydrochemical laboratory analyses were conducted on spring and surface water. Hydrological modelling of possible impacts of climate change on water resources was carried in the scope of CAMARO-D and PROLINE-CE. Correlation and comparison of measured (historical 1961-1990 and recent 1981-2010) and modelled data for 30 year reference period (2041-2070) pointed out how hydrological regime of both investigated areas is going to experience decreased discharge, more frequent extreme events and significant increase in temperature (HORVAT & RUBINIĆ, 2003 & 2006). Additionally, in the scope of CAMARO-D, a comprehensive vulnerability assessment was carried out with the help of GIS tools, by compiling and overlapping layers of natural (intrinsic) vulnerability and potential hazards of anthropogenic origin. The vulnerability and hazard assessment were based on good practices of previously renowned methods, especially recommendations of European COST 620 project. As protection against floods is one of the main CAMARO-D objectives, hazard map was further overlapped with flood risk map (MAYER et al., 2019). With main gaps and conflicts between land use and water management being recognized, best management practices for drinking water protection are derived in order to achieve function-oriented land use-based spatial management at the operational level. Proposed best management practices are integral part of two major outputs of the projects, namely GUIDR (Guidance for the Danube Region for sustainable land use planning) in CAMARO-D and DriFLU (Drinking Water/Floods/Land use) Charta in PROLINE-CE.

land-use management, best management practices, PROLINE-CE, CAMARO-D, drinking water resources

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