DRASTICAI, a New Index for Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment – A Portuguese Case Study

Groundwater vulnerability assessment has become a useful tool for groundwater pollution pre-vention. Groundwater vulnerability maps provide useful data to protect groundwater resources. The identification of agricultural patterns is an important issue for optimized land management. The Tagus river watershed is the backbone of this survey. Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark, in central inland Portugal, corresponds to a rural territory. Intensive agricultural practices showed a rising tendency in the last decades. The most internationally used method for vulnerability evaluation is the DRASTIC index. In this survey, the DRASTICAI index is introduced. A new at-tribute - Anthropogenic Influence - is here added. Five levels of growing vulnerability, from low to high, can be here acknowledged. Idanha-a-Nova municipality is the most affected by intensive farming activities. A robust assessment of groundwater quality has a key role. Climate change scenarios and water scarcity are important issues in years to come. Therefore, optimized groundwater management is essential to consider in policy-making strategies.

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DRASTICAI, a New Index for Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment—A Portuguese Case Study

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences11060228 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 228

Author(s):

Teresa Albuquerque ◽

Natália Roque ◽

Joana Rodrigues ◽

Margarida Antunes ◽

Catarina Silva

Keyword(s):

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Pollution Prevention ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Groundwater Abstraction ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Vulnerability Maps

Groundwater vulnerability assessment has become a useful tool for groundwater pollution prevention. Groundwater vulnerability maps provide useful data for protecting groundwater resources. Identification of agricultural patterns is an important issue for optimized land management. The watershed of the Tagus River is the backbone of this study. Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark, in the central interior of Portugal, corresponds to a rural area. Intensive agricultural practices showed an increasing trend in the last decades. The method that is most used internationally to assess vulnerability is the DRASTIC index. In this study, the DRASTICAI index is introduced. A new attribute—anthropogenic influence—is added here. Five levels of increasing vulnerability, from low to high, can be recognized here. The municipality of Idanha-a-Nova is most affected by intensive agricultural activities, showing spatial patterns of DRASTICAI with a clear influence of anthropogenic activities, with high needs for groundwater abstraction. A robust assessment of groundwater quality has a key role. Climate change scenarios and water scarcity are important issues in the coming years, and particularly in the studied area. Therefore, optimized groundwater management is essential to consider in policy-making strategies.

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Groundwater vulnerability assessment: from overlay methods to statistical methods in the Lombardy Plain area

Acque Sotterranee-Italian Journal of Groundwater ◽

10.7343/as-2017-276 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stefania Stevenazzi ◽

Marco Masetti ◽

Giovanni Pietro Beretta

Keyword(s):

Land Use Planning ◽

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Scientific Progress ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Plain Area ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Vulnerability Maps

Groundwater is among the most important freshwater resources. Worldwide, aquifers are experiencing an increasing threat of pollution from urbanization, industrial development, agricultural activities and mining enterprise. Thus, practical actions, strategies and solutions to protect groundwater from these anthropogenic sources are widely required. The most efficient tool, which helps supporting land use planning, while protecting groundwater from contamination, is represented by groundwater vulnerability assessment. Over the years, several methods assessing groundwater vulnerability have been developed: overlay and index methods, statistical and process-based methods. All methods are means to synthesize complex hydrogeological information into a unique document, which is a groundwater vulnerability map, useable by planners, decision and policy makers, geoscientists and the public. Although it is not possible to identify an approach which could be the best one for all situations, the final product should always be scientific defensible, meaningful and reliable. Nevertheless, various methods may produce very different results at any given site. Thus, reasons for similarities and differences need to be deeply investigated. This study demonstrates the reliability and flexibility of a spatial statistical method to assess groundwater vulnerability to contamination at a regional scale. The Lombardy Plain case study is particularly interesting for its long history of groundwater monitoring (quality and quantity), availability of hydrogeological data, and combined presence of various anthropogenic sources of contamination. Recent updates of the regional water protection plan have raised the necessity of realizing more flexible, reliable and accurate groundwater vulnerability maps. A comparison of groundwater vulnerability maps obtained through different approaches and developed in a time span of several years has demonstrated the relevance of the continuous scientific progress, recognizing strengths and weaknesses of each research.

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Vulnerability Assessment as a Basis for Sanitary Zone Delineation of Karst Groundwater Sources—Blederija Spring Case Study

Water ◽

10.3390/w13192775 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 2775

Author(s):

Vladimir Živanović ◽

Nebojša Atanacković ◽

Saša Stojadinović

Keyword(s):

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Karst Groundwater ◽

Karst Spring ◽

Aquifer Recharge ◽

Protection Zones ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Vulnerability Maps ◽

Dependent Model

The application of groundwater vulnerability methods has great importance for the sanitary protection zones delineation of karstic sources. Source vulnerability assessment of karst groundwater has mainly relied on the European approach (European Cooperation in Science and Technology—COST action 620), which includes analysis of the K factor, which refers to water flow through the saturated zone of the karst system. In the paper, two approaches to groundwater vulnerability assessment have been applied, COP + K and TDM (Time-Dependent Model) methods, to produce the most suitable source vulnerability map that can be transformed into sanitary protection zones maps. Both methods were tested on the case example of Blederija karst spring in Eastern Serbia. This spring represents a classical karst spring with allogenic and autogenic recharge. Dual aquifer recharge points out the necessity for the inclusion of the vulnerability assessment method created especially for the assessment of karst groundwater. Obtained vulnerability maps show similar results, particularly in the spring and the ponor areas, and these zones are most important for future protection. The COP + K method brings out three vulnerability classes that can be directly transformed into three sanitary protection zones. Contrary to the previous one, the TDM method uses water travel time as a vulnerability degree. The results show that the final map can be easily used to define sanitary zones considering different national legislation.

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The Importance of Incorporating Denitrification in the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10072328 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 2328 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gianluigi Busico ◽

Nerantzis Kazakis ◽

Nicolò Colombani ◽

Khabat Khosravi ◽

Konstantinos Voudouris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Human Activities ◽

Domestic Wastewater ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Nitrogen Loads ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Vulnerability Maps ◽

Nitrate Vulnerability ◽

Agricultural Areas

Human activities are deeply connected with groundwater reservoirs, so protecting them from pollution has become a priority in many regions of the world. Nitrate is considered the main groundwater pollutant since it is directly linked to many human activities. Agricultural activities and domestic wastewater have been identified as the main sources of nitrate in groundwater. Nevertheless, there are some natural processes that can mitigate nitrate pollution. Together with dilution processes, the degradation of nitrate through denitrification has been acknowledge as a process that can potentially reduce nitrogen loads, in both deep and shallow aquifers. Usually these processes were not properly quantified in vulnerability assessment methods, until the introduction of LOS indices. In this study, the application of the LOS indices on 4 agricultural areas is discussed, highlighting how the LOS indices can identify portions of the landscape with higher potential denitrification and how they directly enhance the groundwater vulnerability assessment. Previous studies have shown that LOS indices are a valuable tool for proper vulnerability assessment to nitrate, however they need to be coupled with other parameters that also describe nitrate behavior in groundwater. The SINTACS-SVN and DRASTIC-PA methods that include the LOS indices, were applied for the first time in the Epanomi coastal area to evaluate the reliably of the assessment and, despite the different classes range and the weights applied, similar groundwater vulnerability assessment maps were obtained. The nitrate vulnerability maps were comparable with the observed nitrate concentrations and were found to be highly comparable with original LOS maps. Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that vulnerability methods are only screening tools and groundwater quality observations are pivotal information for environmental management.

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An Open Source GIS-Based Application for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments6070086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (7) ◽

pp. 86 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lia Duarte ◽

Jorge Espinha Marques ◽

Ana Cláudia Teodoro

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Specific Area ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Map Comparison ◽

Open Source Gis ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Vulnerability Maps ◽

Serra Da Estrela

Groundwater is a crucial natural resource for regular socio-economic function. Groundwater vulnerability to pollution can be assessed through Geographical Information System (GIS)-based qualitative methods. GIS-based tools, dedicated to the assessment of groundwater vulnerability, usually present several limitations, such as high cost, unavailable code, and a lack of functionality concerning the flexible application of vulnerability indices and vulnerability map comparison. The objective of this work was to create a new GIS-based open source application for groundwater vulnerability assessment, GVTool, developed using QGIS software, with the capability of creating and comparing groundwater vulnerability maps considering four different methods: DRASTIC, GOD, SINTACS, and Susceptibility Index (SI). This application incorporates features from a previous tool, DRASTIC Model, and new functionalities were included, namely three additional vulnerability assessment methods, map comparative analysis, map statistics, and index interval reclassification and symbology definition. The GVTool functionalities and capabilities are illustrated through a groundwater vulnerability assessment in Serra da Estrela mountain (Central Portugal). GVTool is mostly useful in integrated assessments, helping to verify if the groundwater vulnerability maps are accurate and to decide which is the most suitable method or the combination of methods to express groundwater vulnerability to pollution in a specific area.

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Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment Using Random Forest Approach in a Water‐Stressed Paddy Cultivated Region of West Bengal, India

Groundwater Geochemistry ◽

10.1002/9781119709732.ch20 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 392-410

Author(s):

Rabin Chakrabortty ◽

Paramita Roy ◽

Indrajit Chowdhuri ◽

Subodh Chandra Pal

Keyword(s):

Random Forest ◽

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

West Bengal ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment

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Groundwater vulnerability assessment using water quality index (WQI) under geographic information system (GIS) framework in parts of Uttar Pradesh, India

Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽

10.1007/s40899-021-00513-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Abhishek Kumar Chaurasia ◽

H. K. Pandey ◽

S. K. Tiwari ◽

Prashant Pandey ◽

Arjun Ram

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Information System ◽

Geographic Information System ◽

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Water Quality Index ◽

Quality Index ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Geographic Information ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment

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Fuzzy or Non-Fuzzy? A Comparison between Fuzzy Logic-Based Vulnerability Mapping and DRASTIC Approach Using a Numerical Model. A Case Study from Qatar

Water ◽

10.3390/w13091288 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1288

Author(s):

Husam Musa Baalousha ◽

Bassam Tawabini ◽

Thomas D. Seers

Keyword(s):

Fuzzy Logic ◽

Numerical Model ◽

Vulnerability Assessment ◽

Anthropogenic Impacts ◽

Groundwater Vulnerability ◽

Vulnerability Mapping ◽

Anthropogenic Contamination ◽

Weighted Overlay ◽

Vulnerability Maps

Vulnerability maps are useful for groundwater protection, water resources development, and land use management. The literature contains various approaches for intrinsic vulnerability assessment, and they mainly depend on hydrogeological settings and anthropogenic impacts. Most methods assign certain ratings and weights to each contributing factor to groundwater vulnerability. Fuzzy logic (FL) is an alternative artificial intelligence tool for overlay analysis, where spatial properties are fuzzified. Unlike the specific rating used in the weighted overlay-based vulnerability mapping methods, FL allows more flexibility through assigning a degree of contribution without specific boundaries for various classes. This study compares the results of DRASTIC vulnerability approach with the FL approach, applying both on Qatar aquifers. The comparison was checked and validated against a numerical model developed for the same study area, and the actual anthropogenic contamination load. Results show some similarities and differences between both approaches. While the coastal areas fall in the same category of high vulnerability in both cases, the FL approach shows greater variability than the DRASTIC approach and better matches with model results and contamination load. FL is probably better suited for vulnerability assessment than the weighted overlay methods.

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