engleski

Prediction of water balance change after construction of the Danube-Sava multipurpose canal

To satisfy the increasing demand for irrigation and canal navigation the designing of the Danube – Sava multipurpose canal is being carried out. One of the first steps in canal design was to consider its influence on the level and quality of groundwater. Groundwater level was observed on 40 newly constructed piezometers in the period of five years. According to the collected information about geological condition, groundwater level changes, infiltration and evapotranspiration, mathematical model was calibrated. The program that can simulate fluid flow and solute transport in variably saturated porous media was used. Two scenarios of canal's construction were considered. The first scenario includes construction of the first 14.8 km canal from the Sava River suitable for irrigation and another scenario anticipates construction of the canal in its full width, i.e. as a waterway. The significant differences in two anticipated canal sizes result in different discharges between the canal and the aquifer. The results of the performed research show that the water level in the canal is almost always lower than the groundwater level in the aquifer. In the area near the River Sava, there is a significant difference in water level and the canal will all the time drain the aquifer. The advantage of such situation is than it is not possible that some eventual pollutant from the canal infiltrates in the aquifer, and there is no risk for the pumping sites located near the canal. After the canal is in function, the original groundwater level along the canal will be decreased in the band of maximum 1200 m width. As the direction of groundwater flow is mainly from the aquifer into the canal, the quality of water in the canal used for agricultural irrigation will be very good.

ground water; multipurpose canal; agriculture; irrigation

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