Groundwater is a vital resource for domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities, as well as for ecosystem services. Despite this, the resource is under significant threat, due to increasing contamination from anthropogenic activities. Therefore, to ensure its reliability for present and future use, effective management of groundwater is important not only in terms of quantity (i.e. abstraction) but also quality. This can be achieved by identifying areas that are more vulnerable to contamination and by implementing protective measures. To identify the risk and delineate areas that are more exposed to pollution, various groundwater vulnerability assessment techniques have been developed across the globe. This paper presents an overview of some of the commonly used groundwater vulnerability assessment models in terms of their unique features and their application. Special emphasis is placed on statistical methods and overlay-index techniques. The assessment of the literature shows that statistical methods are limited in application to the assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution because they rely heavily on the availability of sufficient and quality data. However, in areas where extensive monitoring data are available, these methods estimate groundwater vulnerability more realistically in quantitative terms. Many works of research indicate that index-overlay methods are used extensively and frequently in groundwater vulnerability assessments. Due to the qualitative nature of these models, however, they are still subject to modification. This study offers an overview of a selection of relevant groundwater vulnerability assessment techniques under a specific set of hydro-climatic and hydrogeological conditions.
We analyse the factors used for assessing groundwater intrinsic vulnerability to pollution in the mean residence time estimation method, providing a final vulnerability evaluation. The following factors were analysed: depth to shallow groundwater, effective precipitation infiltration coefficient, terrain inclination, volumetric water content of soils and rocks in the unsaturated zone and volumetric water content of the topsoil. GIS surveys were performed for two geomorphologically diverse regions: a highland piedmont and a lowland plain in Poland (Central Europe). In both cases, groundwater had spatially diverse vulnerability to contamination. The research method used relied on determining the percentage participation of the area with particular values of the parameters analysed in areas of different degrees of vulnerability. Knowledge of the extent and distribution of variability of the parameters analysed in areas of particular degrees of vulnerability helps explain the causes of spatial variation in groundwater intrinsic vulnerability to contamination in given areas.
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