Organic micropollutants in the assessment of groundwater quality

Abstract

The better the quality of raw water resources, the higher the safety of drinking water supply. In the Danube river basin more than 60% of the population depends on groundwater sources. Organic micropollutants play an important role in quality assessment since they might cause different toxic effects in humans. There are two groups of organic micropollutants: regulated and non-regulated. In recent years, a lot of scientific effort was made to quantify their risks. Their occurrence is site specific and depends on social and economic factors, industry, population density, environmental conditions etc. That is why legislation intervention is required both at national and international level. This paper presents a literature review on the presence and fate of organic micropollutants that have been recently investigated in numerous projects worldwide. Special attention is paid to their mobility and risk for groundwater resources. Data on Serbian groundwater quality is presented for the period 2004-2005. In comparison with knowledge in developed countries, one can conclude that there is a general lack of data. More data about organic micropollutants presence is required, as well as identification of the pressures which lead to quality deterioration. Future quality assessment should be based on evaluated risks made considering both experience from developed countries and local conditions. © IWA Publishing 2007.