engleski

Sustainable Management of Brackish Karst Spring Pantan (Croatia)

Brackish karst spring Pantan is situated in the vicinity of town Trogir. It is a permanent and abundant coastal spring of the ascending type. The opening of the spring is located in the contact zone between the limestone and flysch layers while the catchments area is formed of highly permeable limestone rocks. Flysch zone presents incomplete barrier towards the sea resulting with sea water intrusion into the spring aquifer. Therefore, the main characteristic of the spring is periodical salinity during the year with the highest salinity during summer months. The other particularity of this spring is swampy area presenting unique area on the eastern Adriatic coast mostly characterized by dry karst areas. During the past period water from Pantan spring was used for irrigation as well as for the purposes of fish-farm situated in the vicinity of the spring. In the same time extensive water investigations have been taken for the purpose of finding solution of spring desalinization and taking fresh water for the purposes of water supply. Though these investigations gave some assumptions about spring functioning concrete solution of spring desalinization has never been achieved. Meanwhile, due to bed watershed management water quality of Pantan spring is permanently devastated. Today salinity of the water is not the main problem comparing to the other parameters of water quality. Close to the spring main road is located as well as waste deposits.Unfortunately Pantan karst spring presents an example of not preserving balance between natural resources on karst and human interventions in watershed area. Human pressure and bad spatial planning made serious consequences on Pantan water quality. Pantan spring is unique area and social and economic development should not have the advantage over environment protection. All future measures should be directed on further protection of this valuable karst environment. This paper will present state of the spring as well as further measures of sustainable management directed to the preservation of this distinct karst ecosystem.

brackish karst spring; integrated management; DPSIR concept; Pantan (Croatia)

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