Groundwater resources and environmental needs

Abstract

Management of groundwater is made effective by considering quality and quantity. The former is associated with aquifer protection against anthropic contamination, the latter with the protection against excessive exploitation. The present paper presents technical bases to an integrated program of protection of grondwater resources, defining strategies and action priorities to be taken by governmental and private agencies. The relationship between hydrology and other areas of the Geosciences in physico-territorial planning is also discussed. The evaluation and administration of a groundwater resource should start with the recognition of the aquifers, from well records. This information associated with geological maps and superficial hydrological data, will allow the constrution of hydrological maps and evaluation of the resources and their uses. In areas of greater demand and/or density of pumping wells, closer attention from the resource management agencies is necessary. In such localities, well perforation and exploitation must be preceded by studies and requests for permits for volume, usage and duration of pumping. On the other hand, areas where the probability of conflict is lower, a simple notification of perfuration is all that is needed in most cases. A program of quality protection in integrated form must contemplate two lines of action: one directed to the captation works, for the establishment of well protection areas and the other, directed to the aquifer, defining areas of major and minor contamination susceptibility by anthropic actions, through vulnerability cartography. To implement correction actions and regular aquifer monitoring programs, it is necessary to identify areas of major contamination risk. These can be established by crossing information from the vulnerability cartography with potential contaminant load. Greater risks will allow priority actions from the agencies in question