Altınova Akiferinin (Antalya) Kirliliğe Duyarlılığının Değerlendirmesi

Abstract

Pollution by anthropogenic impacts and its prevention are very important in sustainable groundwater management. Unconscious use of agrochemicals like pesticides and fertilizers particularly in areas where agricultural production is concentrated, results in accumulation of various pollutants in soil and water. When chemical concentrations of these pollutants exceed the guideline limits recommended by national and international organizations, they pose a significant threat to human health. Presence and abundance of contaminants in groundwater depends on a large number of topographical, geological, hydrogeological, hydrological and pedological parameters. Methods for assessing the effects of these parameters on contaminant transport are used to determine the vulnerability of the groundwater to pollution. Land use, which is not generally evaluated in vulnerability mapping approaches, appears to be an important factor in groundwater pollution. In the Altınova region of Antalya Travertine Plateau, there is no water resource other than the groundwater for the sustainability of greenhouse farming. The travertine aquifer possessing high hydraulic conductivity is very vulnerable to groundwater pollution due to percolation of irrigation return water and flushing of soil by recharge from surface. Under these conditions, it is necessary to establish pollution vulnerability maps which take into account the characteristics of the aquifer and to use the obtained sensitivity distribution as a basis in planning future land use and agricultural practices. In this study, Altınova aquifer vulnerability maps are developed using the methods of DRASTIC, SINTACS, EPIK, COP and PI and the effect of agricultural origin pollutants on groundwater are evaluated. It was observed that the inclusion of land use particularly, the greenhouse cultivation areas, results in significant differences in vulnerability maps. In this study, the methods used to determine the groundwater vulnerability and the ion and element concentrations used to verify the methods are evaluated together. It has been determined that SINTACS, COP and EPIK methods produce accurate results in determining the vulnerability of the aquifer.The SINTACS method which is a customized version of the DRASTIC method for karst aquifers, emerges as a method that can be used to determine the groundwater vulnerability of the Altinova aquifer.