Protection des ressources en eau karstique et aménagement et gestion du territoire

Karst water resources protection and country management

CNRS, Laboratoire Hydrosciences Montpellier ISTEEM, Université Montpellier II, c.c. MSE, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 - Travail réalisé dans le cadre d'une collaboration avec le BRGM-EAU, Unité RMD, évaluation des ressources et milieux discontinus

Abstract

Karst aquifers are known as very vulnerable to pollution, mainly because of the high flow velocity along particular underground flow paths. The strict application of regulations for protecting water works for drinking water is particularly difficult in karst areas. All the difficulties are reviewed and discussed, in order to propose orientations for protecting karst water resource by taking into account the hydrogeological characteristics of karst areas: their high vulnerability to pollution, but also the very low remanence of pollution effects at a several-years time scale, the commonly low man activities, and the abundance of their groundwater resource. The wide areas and the necessary economical development oblige that the measures for protecting groundwater resource must be integrated in projects for managing environment and country. Some examples are given.