BASELINE Natural Baseline Quality in European Aquifers: A Basis for Aquifer Management
Country: EU Projects
Start Date:   28/2/2000         Duration: 25 months         Project Type: RTD
Contract Number: EVK1-CT-1999-00006
Organisation Type:  EC Project
Topics: 
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater protection overview
Water resources and their management -->Water resources and their management Overview
Project objectives: 
The objective of the BASELINE project is to establish criteria for defining natural water quality baselines and develop a standardised Europe-wide approach 
for use in the emerging Water Framework Directive. Such a standard, based on geochemical principles, is needed to be able to assess scientifically the natural 
variations in groundwater quality since these alone may breach existing health limits. These criteria are also needed as a reference to assess quantitatively 
whether anthropogenic pollution is taking place. The project will also focus on timescales influencing the natural processes and the rates at which these 
are occurring and appropriate dating tools (including radioisotopes and CFC's) will be used. The extent to which pristine waters are being depleted by contaminated 
waters moving into the aquifer will also be assessed. As well as giving the scientific framework, this project will provide a forum for discussion with policy 
makers and end users, including the utilities and general public. The work will be conducted in a number of representative aquifer cross sections in both carbonate 
and non-carbonate terrain in groundwater catchments in several European countries (Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, France, UK, Spain and Portugal).
Project Summary: 
There is currently no standard to access the natural baseline quality of groundwater. This is required  a) as basis for defining pollution and  b) because existing 
limits are breached by  entirely natural processes. The present-day baseline inorganic and organic geochemistry will be investigated using selected reference 
aquifers as well as historical water quality trends in  these aquifers. State-of-thart  chemical, isotopic and radiometric tracer techniques and geochemical 
modelling will be used to define time scales of the natural geochemical  processes. The results will be used as a scientific basis for underpinning the emerging 
Water Framework Directive and for making recommendations for monitoring natural aquifer systems. This will be achieved by working closely with an advisory 
group drawn from regulatory bodies in the consortium. The results will be presented through scientific channels, for use by policy  makers and legislators.
Achieved Objectives: 
not public available
Product Descriptions: 
not public available
Additional Information:
Project Resources:
Weblink:
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/hydrogeology/baseline/europe/home.html
Funding Programme(s): 
EC Framework Programme 5
Link to Organisations:
Submitted by: EUGRIS Team Prof Paul Bardos  Who does what?  03/07/2003 17:48:00
Updated by: EUGRIS Team Professor Paul Bardos  Who does what?  29/09/2006 15:47:00