engleski

Sustainable domestic wastewater management in Croatian karst regions

The paper deals with sustainability aspects of wastewater management in poorly populated karst regions in the Republic of Croatia, where intrinsic environmental vulnerability (based mainly on hydrogeology-related considerations) poses special requirements with respect to appropriate wastewater collection-treatment-disposal schemes. Inspired by the very nature of karst regions in general, where concentration of any kind of flow (including wastewaters) increases vulnerability and often results in by-passing of protective natural barriers (thus increasing overall aquifer pollution risks), this paper presents conceptual basis of the approach that is founded on one natural (specific aquifer vulnerability concept) and a couple of technical principles (minimization of the pollution source magnitude, application of the appropriate treatment levels, diffused inflow of treated effluent into the underground). Supported by the GIS-based methodology which can help in determination of specific aquifer vulnerability grades, it is further demonstrated how the above principles can be transformed into proposals that stand in the roots of the sector development plans for sustainable domestic wastewater management in one coastal karst province in the Republic of Croatia.

karst regions; domestic wastewater disposal; small communities

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