engleski

IMPACT OF HIGHWAY STORMWATER RUNOFF ON THE CHEMICAL STATUS OF KARST WATERS OF THE GACKA SPRING, CROATIA

Groundwater from karst aquifers is among the most important resources of drinking water supply of the worldwide population. In Croatia carbonate terrains occupy 50% of the land surface, karst water contributes 50% to the total drinking water supply. Pollution from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources is increasing, either directly through discharges (effluent) or indirectly from the spreading of fertilizers or through leaching from landfill. While point sources have caused most of the pollution identified to date, there is evidence that diffuse sources are having an increasing impact on groundwater. Storm-generated runoff pollution from roadways is a significant problem for transportation departments and water-quality planners. The environmental influence of 20 km of the new highway and road storm runoff on the Gacka spring waters was studied. Heavy metals and trace elements (As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Co, Zn, Ni, Pb, Fe, Mn, Hg, Sn, V) were analyzed in spring waters, storm water, soils and pond sediments as well as in suspended sediments. Dissolved concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Se in highway storm water were at values similar to spring water, indicating that these elements are not present in the dissolved phase but are probably linked with road sediment. Copper, Sb, W, Mo, (Zn As) had ten times higher concentrations in storm water than concentrations of these elements in spring water.

Karst; transport impact; heavy metals; deicing; runoff

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