Abstract
Hydrogeological and microbiological research is in progress to analyze the interaction between groundwater and microbial pollutants, produced by pasture and/or manure spreading, in the areas of different carbonate aquifers of southern Italy. Several springs and wells were studied, and the precipitation, the discharge, the groundwater level and the classic microbial indicators of pollution were monitored weekly or daily. The experimental results show that the pasture and the manure spreading produced microbial contamination of the groundwater, even if runoff infiltration in swallow holes does not exist. The time dependence of microbial contamination shows a series of peaks irregularly distributed, related to the precipitation that produce effective infiltration.
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Acknowledgements
This project was granted aid by the European Union (KArst waTER research program, INTERREG IIC, CADSES, 96/C200/07) and the Research National Council of Italy (CNRG00D43F). The authors would like to thank all KATER partners for useful discussions during the project.
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Celico, F., Musilli, I. & Naclerio, G. The impacts of pasture- and manure-spreading on microbial groundwater quality in carbonate aquifers. Env Geol 46, 233–236 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-0987-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-0987-2