The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia
This paper describes how uncontrolled and illegal mining of sand and gravel can affect surface water and groundwater regimes in places where there is a hydraulic connection between them, based on a case study of the Velika Morava River in Serbia. Also, a change in cross-profile geometry, as a result...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/14/2654 |
| _version_ | 1811153794557280256 |
|---|---|
| author | Milan Kresojević Vesna Ristić Vakanjac Dragan Trifković Jugoslav Nikolić Boris Vakanjac Dušan Polomčić Dragoljub Bajić |
| author_facet | Milan Kresojević Vesna Ristić Vakanjac Dragan Trifković Jugoslav Nikolić Boris Vakanjac Dušan Polomčić Dragoljub Bajić |
| author_sort | Milan Kresojević |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper describes how uncontrolled and illegal mining of sand and gravel can affect surface water and groundwater regimes in places where there is a hydraulic connection between them, based on a case study of the Velika Morava River in Serbia. Also, a change in cross-profile geometry, as a result of anthropogenic and natural factors, hinders the preparation of this river for inclusion among Serbia’s waterways. The Velika Morava River’s navigability would enable the development of waterborne transportation for both merchant ships and vessels of the Serbian Armed Forces River Flotilla. Correlations between water levels at gauging stations, as well as correlations between groundwater levels and river water levels at gauging stations, are used to show the dependence of these parameters on the change in the river bed profile after sand and gravel mining at the locations near gauging stations. In addition, the homogeneity of time-series of average annual elevations and the variance of the water levels of the Velika Morava River, measured in gauging stations during different periods, are statistically analyzed. The deepening of the Velika Morava riverbed where it was indiscriminately excavated in the 1980s led to the disruption of the groundwater regime and the hydraulic connection with the river, which lowered the water table of the aquifer used for the public water supply, as well as causing a number of other negative consequences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:33:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6915697f7e14979baba056b544f7452 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:33:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6915697f7e14979baba056b544f74522023-11-18T21:48:22ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-07-011514265410.3390/w15142654The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, SerbiaMilan Kresojević0Vesna Ristić Vakanjac1Dragan Trifković2Jugoslav Nikolić3Boris Vakanjac4Dušan Polomčić5Dragoljub Bajić6Military Academy, University of Defence in Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaMilitary Academy, University of Defence in Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaRepublic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaMilitary Geographical Institute “General Stevan Bošković”, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaThis paper describes how uncontrolled and illegal mining of sand and gravel can affect surface water and groundwater regimes in places where there is a hydraulic connection between them, based on a case study of the Velika Morava River in Serbia. Also, a change in cross-profile geometry, as a result of anthropogenic and natural factors, hinders the preparation of this river for inclusion among Serbia’s waterways. The Velika Morava River’s navigability would enable the development of waterborne transportation for both merchant ships and vessels of the Serbian Armed Forces River Flotilla. Correlations between water levels at gauging stations, as well as correlations between groundwater levels and river water levels at gauging stations, are used to show the dependence of these parameters on the change in the river bed profile after sand and gravel mining at the locations near gauging stations. In addition, the homogeneity of time-series of average annual elevations and the variance of the water levels of the Velika Morava River, measured in gauging stations during different periods, are statistically analyzed. The deepening of the Velika Morava riverbed where it was indiscriminately excavated in the 1980s led to the disruption of the groundwater regime and the hydraulic connection with the river, which lowered the water table of the aquifer used for the public water supply, as well as causing a number of other negative consequences.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/14/2654sand and gravel miningriver flow regimegroundwater regime |
| spellingShingle | Milan Kresojević Vesna Ristić Vakanjac Dragan Trifković Jugoslav Nikolić Boris Vakanjac Dušan Polomčić Dragoljub Bajić The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia Water sand and gravel mining river flow regime groundwater regime |
| title | The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia |
| title_full | The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia |
| title_short | The Effect of Gravel and Sand Mining on Groundwater and Surface Water Regimes—A Case Study of the Velika Morava River, Serbia |
| title_sort | effect of gravel and sand mining on groundwater and surface water regimes a case study of the velika morava river serbia |
| topic | sand and gravel mining river flow regime groundwater regime |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/14/2654 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT milankresojevic theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT vesnaristicvakanjac theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dragantrifkovic theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT jugoslavnikolic theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT borisvakanjac theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dusanpolomcic theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dragoljubbajic theeffectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT milankresojevic effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT vesnaristicvakanjac effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dragantrifkovic effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT jugoslavnikolic effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT borisvakanjac effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dusanpolomcic effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia AT dragoljubbajic effectofgravelandsandminingongroundwaterandsurfacewaterregimesacasestudyofthevelikamoravariverserbia |