Hydrogeologische - Hydrogeological Foundation for a Sustainable Use of Deep Groundwater in the Area of Eastern Styria and the Pannonian Basin (NANUTIWA)

Deep groundwater of the thick sedimentary rocks of the East-Styrian and the Pannonian basin are presently used and will be used as drinking water on a large scale both in Austria and in the border region of Hungary. For a goal-directed and long-term resources management the present knowledge is not sufficient in spite of the extensive development regarding the delimitation and characterization of the deep groundwater system, the available resources and their recharge. The present investigations aim at the development of the technical basis for a sustainable use of the deep groundwater by the water resources management for drinking water on the basis of existing knowledge. On this occasion the following questions should be settled: spatial delimitation depending on depth of connected aquifers; quantitative estimation of the available resources in the aquifers declared as connected; exploration of the location of the catchment areas of the aquifers; exploration of the space-time distribution of ground water recharge; development of the hydrogeological (conceptual) model; calculation of the water balance of the deep groundwater considering the current utilization; estimation of the potential maximum yields in the aquifers seen from the point of view of sustainable resources management; building of a measuring network for a continuous monitoring of the deep groundwater and data banks. The result should serve for the basis of a border-crossing management concept.