Focus on CSIR research in water resources: improved methods for aquifer vulnerability assessments and protocols (AVAP) for producing vulnerability maps, taking into account information on soils

Abstract

Groundwater resources are increasingly threatened by pollution. The AVAP project was initiated to develop improved methods for vulnerability assessments in urban catchments, with particular emphasis on the integration of available soils information in vulnerability assessments. The outputs of the project will help to ensure that land-use decision making does not result in groundwater pollution. Aquifer vulnerability to contamination comprises two components: unsaturated zone vulnerability and saturated zone vulnerability. For the unsaturated zone vulnerability indices were developed for the Soil Zone and the Intermediate Zone