Derivation of Threshold Values for Groundwater in Romania,
in order to Distinguish Point & Diffuse Pollution from Natural
Background Levels

Radu, E.; Balaet, Ruxandra; Vliegenthart, F.; Schipper, P.

doi:2010.15.2.85

Environmental Engineering Research 2010;15(2): 85-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4491/eer.2010.15.2.085

Derivation of Threshold Values for Groundwater in Romania, in order to Distinguish Point & Diffuse Pollution from Natural Background Levels

E. Radu¹^†, Ruxandra Balaet², F. Vliegenthart³, and P. Schipper⁴

¹Researcher Hydrogeologist, National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, 97 Bucuresti-Ploiesti Road, Bucuresti, Romania, emil.radu@hidro.ro
²Senior advisor-Hydrogeologist, Ministry of Environment, Romania, 12 Libertatii Road, Bucuresti, Romania, ruxandra.balaet@mmediu.ro
³Senior consultant groundwater management, Grontmij Netherlands, frank.vliegenthart@grontmij.nl
⁴Senior consultant groundwater and geochemistry, Grontmij Netherlands, peter.schipper@grontmij.nl

Corresponding Author: E. Radu ,Tel: +40-21-3181115, Fax: +40-21-3181116, Email: emil.radu@hidro.ro

Received: February 1, 2010; Accepted: April 3, 2010.

ABSTRACT

Romania aims to adopt and implement the European Union’s legislation, also including that for the field of water management. Like other countries, groundwater in Romania is locally polluted from point sources, such as leaking landfills, as well as from diffuse pollution sources, include fertilizers, pesticides and leakages from sewers, in urbanized areas. Diffuse pollution can also occur indirectly, by over-exploitation of groundwater wells, resulting in salt water intrusion, as well as from mining and exploitation of mineral aggregates. Romania has quite an intensive monitoring scheme to measure groundwater quality in phreatic and confined aquifers. The purpose of the work resumed in this paper was to derive natural background levels (NBL) for groundwater in order to distinguish the natural elevated concentrations of some substances (natural phenomena) from point and diffuse pollution (anthropogenic phenomena). Based on these NBLs, threshold values (TV) for groundwater will be set according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive and the related Groundwater Directive. This paper describes the results of a study for the derivation of NBL and TV in a pilot Groundwater Body. Also, the process and draft results for extrapolating this work for all Romanian groundwater bodies is explained, as well as points for future consideration with respect to monitoring and management.