Groundwater is a relatively stable and protected water resource, its quality, especially in highly urbanized catchments, is vulnerable to pollution related to unusual events or accidents causing releases of hazardous substances. To ensure the safe supply of drinking water in these cases, prompt actions must be taken and solutions must be delivered under time constraints. This paper describes a decision support system for emergency groundwater management that was developed to improve activities after the discovery of pollution in the catchments of drinking water abstraction wells in the Ljubljansko polje aquifer. It is a system based on a monitoring network and the integration of numerical modeling techniques with expert knowledge. The integration of logically interlinked activities, including the detection of pollution in the groundwater, the simulation of pollution propagation and decision making, into a common system provides a basis for proactive water resource management. The user-friendly interface enables water managers to utilize modeling tools and rapidly access information for mitigating pollution of groundwater resource, which in the presented case significantly contributes to a safer drinking water supply.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2305109
The relation between isotopic composition of precipitation and 41 elementary air circulation mechanisms (ECMs) determined by Dzerdzeevskii classification was studied. We developed the first mathematical model based on the linear combination of monthly hydrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation and precipitation amount weighted average related to particular ECM. Application of the model was illustrated on the long term (1981 – 2010) precipitation isotope record from Ljubljana GNIP station, Slovenia. We estimated average isotope values and their standard deviation for the precipitation at Ljubljana generated at particular ECMs. The model enables new insights into the understanding of spatial and temporal distribution of isotopes in precipitation, which is a basis for the understanding of terrestrial climate proxies based on the isotopic characteristics of the precipitation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 28814375
The investigation of Idrija, one of the oldest mining areas in Slovenia, is an on-going field of geochemical research. Almost 500 years of mercury mining and ore processing resulted in widespread Hg contamination, especially in soils. Past investigations showed that soils in the Idrija surroundings were seriously contaminated on a regional scale, mainly due to atmospheric emissions from an ore roasting plant in the past. This study focuses on the soils from the urban area of Idrija (3 km2). Following a sampling model grid, which was developed for collection of nine soil samples per km2, 45 sampling sites were established. Concentrations of ten potentially harmful metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn) were determined using aqua regia digestion. Soil samples were taken from two different soil depths (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm) in order to distinguish between possible different metal sources. The results showed that only Hg concentrations were extremely high in comparison to metal concentrations reported in other areas around the world and national guidelines for soil contamination. Hg ranges from 8 to 1210 mg/kg with a median of 60 mg/kg in topsoil and from 7 to 1550 mg/kg with a median of 50 mg/kg in subsoil. Spatial analysis show that high Hg concentrations appear near the identified mercury sources (rocks containing mercury ore, mercury ore residue dumps and old roasting sites). High mercury concentrations cause concern, because the soil in Idrija area is often used for vegetable gardening.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2339669
The distribution and transport of Hg and other elements were studied in aquatic systems draining contaminated ancient Hg ore roasting sites Pšenk and Frbejžene trate in Idrija surroundings. Hg concentrations in sediments downstream of the studied roasting site areas were found extremely high, ranging from 18 to 1240 mg/kg (average 387 mg/kg) in the (0.063 mm grain-size fraction, and from 48 to 1080 (average 456 mg/kg) in the (0.125 mm fraction. Further downstream along the Padarjeva grapa Stream, which drains both contaminated areas, Hg concentrations were 330–2040 (average of 721 mg/kg; for (0.125 mm) and 380–840 (average of 531 mg/kg; for (0.04 mm). Increased Hg concentrations were found in the Idrijca River sediments downstream of the Padarjeva grapa Stream confluence. The results of our investigation have proved that Hg-loaded materials are not only still present at the roasting sites, but are intensively eroded and transported downstream during high waters. Consequently they have significant influence on the Idrijca River sediment contamination. Delivery of Hg contaminants from historically contaminated roasting sites via Padarjeva grapa Stream during heavy rainfalls was most intense during operation of the roasting sites, but remains an ongoing issue.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2344789
Hydrogeological aspects of geothermal aquifers in four countries in the western Pannonian basin were investigated with their development potential. Thermal waters at 149 sites are used for bathing, drinking, industrial water supply, space and water heating. Geothermal electricity is produced only in Austria at a small pilot plant. Low share of direct use is coupled by small number of reinjection wells and shows rather low thermal efficiency. Annual production of thermal water sums to approximately 40 million m3, and the Pannonian-Pontian clastic and the Mesozoic carbonate rocks form most productive and transboundary aquifers. Potential of inactive wells which sums to 4.7 million m3 of thermal water per year, while the legislative potential is estimated to be approximately 58.8 million m3 per year. Since depletion of many geothermal aquifers is already evident, such increase in production might be hydrogeologically unfeasible, at least if no improvements in utilization technology are made.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2372181