Pollution of Nitrates - Contaminant transport in heterogeneous porous media: a case study of the coastal aquifer of Corinth, Greece

The coastal plain of Corinth, known also as Vocha plain is one of the fast-growing rural areas due to its relatively short distance from Athens. In conjunction with the fast development, water use has also increased. On a large part of the Plain area, irrigated agriculture is practiced and fertilizers are applied. The groundwater is extracted by wells (boreholes) drilled in the alluvium of Vocha Plain to meet municipal, agricultural and other water requirements. Groundwater contamination by nitrates is a problem related mainly to the spreading of organic and chemical fertilizers by farmers and, to some extent, to effluents from domestic sewage systems. Groundwater pollution in the alluvium aquifer of the Vocha Plain was investigated during a field study from July 2000 to July 2001 at eight (8) sampling periods. In this paper, the characteristics, distribution and variation of the NO3 pollution are presented using a transport model.