GeoERA HOVER WP7 – Harmonized vulnerability to pollution mapping of the upper aquifer

Country / Region: Europe

Begin of project: July 1, 2018

End of project: October 31, 2021

Status of project: October 31, 2021

Background:
45 Geological Survey Organisations from 32 European countries developed the Co-Fund Action "Establishing the European Geological Surveys Research Area to deliver a Geological Service for Europe (GeoERA)". The main objective of GeoERA is to contribute to the optimal use and management of the subsurface. To this end in 2018 15 research projects covering the applied geosciences started, addressing the four themes geo-energy, groundwater, raw materials and information platform.

Within the groundwater theme, the HOVER (Hydrogeological processes and geological settings OVER Europe controlling dissolved geogenic and anthropogenic elements in groundwater of relevance to human health and the status of dependent ecosystems) project aims to gain understanding of the controls on groundwater quality across Europe using the combined expertise and data held by the geological surveys. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731166. The total budget for the project is about 3 million €, of which the participants contribute around 2.1 million € and the European Commission nearly 900.000 €.

HOVER is organised in eight work packages (WP). The German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) coordinates the WP7 "Harmonized vulnerability to pollution mapping of the upper aquifer". The aim of this WP is to assess the vulnerability to pollution of the upper aquifer for improving groundwater management and protection.

On the left: Preliminary pan-EU DRASTIC application with readily available data (A: Depth to water; B: Topography; C: Recharge; D: Impact of vadose zone; E: Aquifer type; F: Aquifer conductivity; G: Soil type). On the right: Conceptual picture of the lumped index method applied to calculate groundwater volumes of each vulnerability class Source: BGR & IGME

Objectives:

• Compile and evaluate internationally available parametric system methods for assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution and identify the respective parameters required.

• Prepare a groundwater vulnerability map of the uppermost aquifer at pan-EU scale (1:1.5M) using the DRASTIC method.

  Members of work package 7 and pilot areas Source: BGR

• Prepare comparable DRASTIC maps of groundwater vulnerability at national, national/cross-border (1:250k) and at regional (1:50k) scales by harmonizing methods and parameters. Also, apply the specific COP method for groundwater vulnerability assessment in some karst aquifers.
• Apply a lumped index method based on 2D conceptual cross sections to calculate the respective aquifer volumes per DRASTIC class.
• Analyse the feasibility of using nitrate content in groundwater and/or groundwater age distribution to validate maps of groundwater vulnerability to pollution.

Approach:

• The DRASTIC method was applied in 11 areas at scales between 1:10k and 1:250k. Five of these pilot areas include karst aquifers, which were assessed using the COP method.

  Examples of groundwater vulnerability assessment Source: ICGC, PGI-PIB, LBGR, GEUS & BGR

• In three pilot areas from Denmark and Spain validation tests using groundwater nitrate data and groundwater age distribution were carried out.
• The lumped index method was applied in four pilot areas in Spain, Denmark and Ireland.
• For the pan-EU DRASTIC map, WP7 partners contributed with new depth to water table data covering their national territory at 10x10 Km grid size.

Results:

• GeoERA HOVER products from the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI)
• MS Power BI presentation on GeoERA HOVER project report no. 3: Results of the vulnerability assessment of the upper aquifer to pollution at pilot areas scale (statistics and sensitivity analysis)

Literature:

Project reports:

• ARNO, G. et al. (2021): Results of the vulnerability assessment of the upper aquifer to pollution at pilot areas scale: statistics and sensitivity analysis. - Report 3 of the GeoERA HOVER project, WP7; 57 p.; Barcelona (PDF, 6 MB)
• BRODA, S. et al. (2020): Compilation of the examination results of the data sets of input data for the respective methodologies assessing vulnerability of the upper aquifer to pollution. - Report 2 of the GeoERA HOVER project, WP7; 77 p.; Berlin (PDF, 7 MB)
• BRODA, S. et al. (2019): Comparison of internationally commonly applied index methodologies for assessing the vulnerability of the upper aquifer to pollution. - Report 1 of the GeoERA HOVER project, WP7; 64 p.; Berlin (PDF, 2 MB)
• PULIDO-VELAZQUEZ, D. (2021): Delivering of cross sections and maps of extend of selected aquifers in specific national pilot areas. - Report 4 of the GeoERA HOVER project, WP7; 18 p.; Granada. (PDF, 2 MB)

Conference contributions:

• BRODA, S. and the GeoERA HOVER WP7 TEAM (2021): Multi-scale input data assessment for harmonized index-based aquifer vulnerability evaluations across Europe, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-14449; doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14449.
• GÜNTHER, A., BRODA, S., DUSCHER, K., REICHLING, J., SCHOMBURGK, S., ELSTER, D., BIMALYUK, B., CERAR, S., HANSEN, B., HICKEY, C., IKONEN, J., HERMS, I., KONTODIMOS, K., VELAZQUEZ, D. P., PERSA, D., JANETZ, S., WITTHOEFT, M., ARUSTIENE, J., GAL, N., NIDENTAL, M. and the GeoERA HOVER WP7 TEAM (2020): GeoEra HOVER WP7 – Harmonized vulnerability to pollution mapping of the upper aquifer, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-14037; doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-14037.

Partner:

HOVER work package 7 involves 16 Geological Surveys from 13 different countries. It is coordinated by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).

• French Geological Survey (BRGM)
• Geological Survey of Austria (GBA)
• State Research and Development Enterprise State Information Geological Fund of Ukraine (GEOINFORM)
• Geological Survey of Slovenia (GEO-ZS)
• Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)
• Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI)
• Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
• Cartographical and Geological Survey of Catalonia (ICGC)
• Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration (HSGME)
• Geological Survey of Spain (IGME)
• Geological Institute of Romania (IGR)
• State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials Brandenburg (LBGR)
• Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG)
• Lithuanian Geological Survey (LGT)
• Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary (MBFSZ)
• Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute (PGI-PIB)