The PI method - A GIS-based approach to mapping groundwater vulnerability with special consideration of karst aquifers

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Publication Date

January 2000

Abstract

The PI method is a GIS-based approach to mapping the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination with special consideration of karst aquifers. Vulnerability is classified on the basis of the product of two factors: The P factor indicates the effectiveness of the protective cover as a function of the thickness and hydraulic properties of all the strata between the ground surface and the groundwater surface: the soil, the subsoil, the non-karstic bedrock, and the unsaturated zone of the karstic bedrock. It is calculated using a slightly modified version of a method proposed by Holting et al. (1995). The I factor (infiltration conditions) indicates the degree to which the protective cover is bypassed by surface and near-surface flow, especially if it occurs within the catchment area of a sinking stream. It takes into account the properties of the soil, land use and vegetation, the slope, and above all, the locations of karst features that allow surface water to rapidly enter the groundwater, for example via swallow holes.

Keywords

PI Method, Mapping Vulnerability Of Groundwater, Vulnerability Of Groundwater

Document Type

Article

Notes

Zeitschrift Angewandte Geol, Vol. 46, no. 3 (2000-01-01).

Identifier

SFS0055963_00001

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