AUTOMATED MONITORING OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY WITH ION-SELECTIVE ELECTRODES AND AN APPLICATION AT THE KATO SOULI AREA (NE ATTICA, GREECE).

7th International Scientific Conference - SGEM2007, www.sgem.org, SGEM2007 Conference Proceedings/ ISBN: 954-918181-2, June 11-15, 2007

ABSTRACT

Surface and groundwater resources are important assets for the economic and
social welfare of the population of a given area; they are renewable and with
proper management, they contribute substantially to sustained development.
Unfortunately, the expansion of industrial and agricultural activities lead to
increasing withdrawal of water from the aquifers, excessive use of pesticides
and fertilizers and (frequently illicit) disposal of industrial waste. This results in
rapid reduction in the quantity and quality of water reserves. There’s a compelling
call for the development of advanced and inexpensive means to monitor the
quantitative and qualitative characteristics of water resources. This paper
introduces a multi-channel system, developed in response to the requirements
specified by Directive 2000/60 of the European Commission, to measure up
to 15 physical and chemical parameters (pollutant concentration) facilitating
the evaluation of water quality in real time. The system uses the Ion-Selective
Electrode technology and its effectiveness is demonstrated with an application
in the area of Kato Souli (NE Attica), which suffers from intense salination
(sea-water intrusion) and pollution of the aquifer. It is shown that it comprises
an inexpensive, accurate and fast method to map the quality of groundwater
reserves and assist aquifer managers in making effective decisions.

Keywords: Water quality, water pollution, aquifer management, Ion-selective
electrodes.