Protection Potential of the Groundwater Cover
Begin of project: January 1, 2002
End of project: December 31, 2005
Status of project: December 31, 2005
Background:
The protective potential of the groundwater cover layers assesses the protective effect of the unsaturated zone, including the soil overlying the upper aquifer with potential groundwater supply, against the vertical intrusion of contaminants. The development of nationwide information on the protective potential of the groundwater cover between 2002 and 2005 was a contribution by the State Geological Surveys of Germany (SGD) to the initial description of groundwater bodies as part of the reporting obligations for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive.
Protection potential of the groundwater cover
Methodology:
The determination of the protection potential basically follows the guidelines of the German Working Group on water issues of the Federal States and the Federal Government (LAWA) working aid (as of 2003) and provides for a classification into the categories "favourable", "medium" and "unfavourable" in the map representation.
Depending on the digital availability of the required information bases, the Geological Surveys of the individual federal states have essentially developed two solutions:
Method 1: In the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Saarland and Saxony, available area information (hydrogeological overview map HÜK250 or other state-specific bases) was compiled using conventional empirical methods and/or point information (layer lists from boreholes) with hydrogeological information content was classified with regard to a potential protective effect against the intrusion of contaminants and interpreted according to the specifications of LAWA.
Method 2: In Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the method developed by the SGD for determining the protective function of the groundwater cover (HÖLTING et al.) was applied. This method provides more differentiated information, but requires comprehensive information on seepage rate/groundwater recharge, usable field capacity of the soil, rock type and thickness of the groundwater cover below the soil, structural properties of the bedrock and artesian pressure conditions. The classification, based on a scoring system, was translated into the categories specified in the LAWA-working aid.
Areas with stagnant surface water and insufficient information density were not assessed.
For a detailed overview of the methods used by the State Geological Surveys of Germany, click here.
Geoviewer:
Maps:
- Protection Potential of the Groundwater Cover of Germany (A3-Format) (PDF, 8 MB)
- Protection Potential of the Groundwater Cover of Germany (A3-Format) (png, 938 KB)
Data:
- Protection Potential of the Groundwater Cover of Germany (SGWU) as a Shapefile
- Protection Potential of the Groundwater Cover of Germany (SGWU) as a Web Map Service
Literature:
- European Commission (2000): Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. - OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.
- HÖLTING, B., HAERTLÉ, T., HOHBERGER, K.-H., NACHTIGALL, K. H., VILLINGER, E., WEINZIERL, W. & WROBEL, J.-P. (1995): Konzept zur Ermittlung der Schutzfunktion der Grundwasserüberdeckung. – Geol. Jb., C63: 5 – 24, 5 Tab.; Hannover.
- LAWA (2003): Arbeitshilfe zur Umsetzung der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie / Teil 3, S.36-37: Charakterisierung der Deckschichten (PDF, 18 KB)
- SGD (2016): Charakterisierung der Deckschichten gemäß LAWA-Arbeitshilfe - Methodische Übersicht. (PDF, 116 KB)
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