Report
for the period Jan. 2003 - Dec. 2003

WP1 – Project organization

The main previewed deliverable (D1) in project organization was the organization of the kick-off meeting. During the meeting a seminar for local authorities and management was organized in order to explain them the detailed concept and action plan of the Project as well as the way of co-operation between the participants from different countries. Principal investigators and several other scientists representing all partners presented their experiences in the field of karst preservation and the possibilities of their participation in the Project.

WP2 - Hydrogeological recognition

Hydrogeological recognition encompassed registration and spatial distribution of the relevant and important hydrogeological objects (springs, wells, boreholes), speleological objects (caves, pits, ponors) and existing sources of environmental active and potential pollutants.

The investigated area has dominantly attributes of karst. Composing rocks are carbonates of various types. Processes of karstification are dependent on different factors such as, lithology, structural setting and orientation and intensity of faults and fractures.

During the field investigations it was possible to recognize and plot 1077 springs, 232 ponors, pits and caves. So far we have information and data about 9 tracing experiments preformed from south-western part of the Una river catchment area (part of the Black sea catchment area).

Since now, nearly 40 sampling points and locations are established. We still do not have definite number of stations for monitoring hydrologic data in the Una river basin.

During so far performed field investigations it was possible to distinguish four groups of rocks and sediments according to their hydrogeologic function:

           - Permeable rocks (limestones fractured and karstified)

           - Partly permeable (limestone with dolomite)

           - Partly impermeable rocks (limestones with silt)

           -Impermeable rocks (klastic flysch and flysch like deposits)

WP3 - Sampling and laboratory analyses

Sampling points were established during the visiting of the area by all principal participants after the kick-off meeting. At Plitvice Lakes 23 sampling points were defined, encompassing the karst water along the lake chain, springs and inflows of the lakes. In Bosnia there were defined 12 sampling points along the Una River and the springs supplying town Bihać with potable water.

In situ physico-chemical analyses and sampling for analyses were envisaged in three-month sequences during the following two years. The same sequence was established for sampling of water for heavy metal analyses. Sampling of water for stable isotope (²H, ¹⁸O), as well as sampling of atmospheric CO₂ for ¹⁴C analyses, were organized in co-operation with the Research Centre “Academician Ivo Pevalek” at Plitvice Lakes on a monthly basis. For this purpose a subcontracting agreement with Plitvice National Park was signed. Sampling for noble gases and freons, as well as of lake sediment cores was performed in November 2003.

Physico-chemical measurements of water, including temperature, pH values, conductivity and dissolved oxygen, were performed in situ at each sampling point where water samples for chemical analyses in laboratory were taken. For field measurements portable conductometer, pH-Meter and oxymeter were used. Water samples for heavy metal analyses were filtrated by and stored in plastic bottles after adjusting of pH to 2. For all other laboratory analyses the glass bottles were used.

Laboratory analyses encompassed measurement of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon), IC (Inorganic Carbon), free carbon dioxide, bicarbonates, anions, ammonia and concentrations of metals (B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Cr, Sr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba and Pb).

During the field campaign in November sampling of half-meter sediment cores from the bottom of 4 different lakes and 5 different locations of Plitvice Lakes was organized. The sampling was performed by two scuba divers. After the sampling the cores have been frozen in the chest freezer and transported to the Ruđer Bošković Institute. Subsequently they were cut and dried and sent to the GGA-Institute laboratory in Hannover and some other laboratories in Germany, as well as to the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona.

Analyses of sediment cores were performed by gamma spectrometry using a low-background, well-type, high-purity germanium detector. Activities of anthropogenic (¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ²⁴¹Am) and natural (²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁴Pb, ²¹⁴Bi) radionuclides were measured in order to determine the sediment rate and the dynamics of both natural and anthropogenic processes in the environment. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy was performed too.

WP4 - GIS

Establishing of the Hydrogeological Data Base which will be the basis for Geological Information System (GIS) of the area of interest is one of the most important data within this Project. The following hydrogeological parameters were estimated: filtration, total and effective porosity, permeability and hydrogeological functions of rocks, fluctuation of water table, ponors and perennial and periodic springs, discharge fluctuation, hydraulic mechanism of springs, the direction of ground waters connections between ponors and springs, size of recharge area of springs, types and allocation of water divides, productivity of more significant accumulations of ground waters, relationship between surface and ground waters.

Digitally processed data and management have been performed by Partner 4 within the Geographic Information System (GIS) with the aid of Arc/Info software (ESRI Cal. USA). Analysing of data, modeling and representation of results will be visualized through the ArcMap-ArcView software version 8.2, of the same producer. The same software has been installed at UAB (Partner 1) in order to co-operate with the hydrogeological group from Zagreb.

WP4, WP5, WP6 - Case studies

Case studies have been concentrated to anthropogenic influence to the Plitvice Lakes system caused mainly by tourist influence (WP4), determination of pollution status of Una River upstream and downstream from town Bihać (WP5), as well as to investigation of water supply capacities in Bihać region on Bosnian side of the investigated area (WP6).

The following pre-war potential pollution were established: sand, gravel and technical stone quarries, served usually as uncontrolled disposal site for municipal waste, military facilities (airport Željava), industry, mainly in Bihać area, as well as hotels and tourist facilities (mainly Plitvice area). War activities left mine fields along defense lines and cemeteries and mass graves. Therefore the post-war pollution hazard is represented by controlled, uncontrolled and abandoned landfill.

During the first reporting period all relevant data obtained by previous hydrogeological studies were collected. All collected data, about springs; ponors and hazards were checked during the hydrogeological recognition during the July, August and partly November field trips.

Sampling and analyses have been performed during 2003 on a monthly or three-months basis, depending on the type of analyses. Sampling of sediment cores were performed in November 2003. Since it is necessary to perform measurement at least during one year, the first conclusions will be possible by the end of the second year of investigation.

WP9 – Dissemination activities

The EU project was presented on a poster during two conferences: the 13th Meeting of the Association of European Geological Societies, with a theme “Geosciences and the European Water Framework Directive” (Hannover, September, 10-13, 2003). The second presentation was during the conference of German Association for Stable Isotope Research (Cologne, October, 06-08 2003).

The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina were informed about this Project through a TV show broadcasted on the Federal television. There were also two radio broadcasts. During the “Eko-Bis fair” of ecological movements and products in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a poster with the complete program.

A Ph.D. program for postgraduate student J. C. Ortiz at the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona entitled “Modelling of hydrochemical parameters in the karst area at the border area between central Croatia and western Bosnia and Herzegovina” was proposed and the work on this theme started after the candidate visited the area of interest.

WP11 – Co-ordination

The general administration of the consortium has been carried out by the project co-ordinator (Partner 1) and the assistant co-ordinator (Partner 3) who takes care on co-ordination among the partners from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The steering committee, consisting of responsible persons of all partners, met during the kick-off meeting, and the partners from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina met during three field trips. The efficient information flow between the members of the consortium is guaranteed by regular exchanging of e-mails in order to successfully realize the goals of this project. The principal co-ordinator visited the area of interest in April during the kick-off meeting. The candidate for Ph.D. visited this area during the second campaign in July 2003, while the assistant co-ordinator visited Barcelona by the end of November in order to help the principal co-ordinator in preparation of the annual report.