Usage of model PEARL for simulation of pesticide emission into the Ljubljansko polje groundwater

Authors: Sašo KLEMENČIČ
Citation: Acta hydrotechnica, vol. 22, no. 37, pp. 95-111, 2004.
Abstract: Groundwater of the plain of Ljubljansko polje is one of the most important water bodies in Slovenia and represents the source of drinking water for around 300,000 people. Soil covering the aquifer is mostly shallow and permeable. Because of that the percolation of pesticides from the Ljubljansko polje fields represents a considerable threat to the groundwater. In the past atrazine was used in large amounts at the Ljubljansko polje, which was the reason that atrazine and its metabolite desethyl atrazine have exceeded the limit value and are still present in the groundwater. After 1995, the use of atrazine started to decrease, and in 2003 the use of atrazine was prohibited. Because of that the quantity of atrazine and desethyl atrazine in groundwater is slowly reducing. In order to prevent such scenarios in the future, we tried to establish the suitability of the PEARL model for the Ljubljansko polje. With the model one can evaluate the pesticide mobility, before they are registered and deployed to fields.
Keywords: groundwater, atrazine, metolaclor, PEARL, Ljubljansko polje
Full text: a37sk.pdf