RECENT APPROACHES FOR URBAN GROUNDWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION AND REMEDIATION

Groundwater protection and pollution prevention must be based on an integrated and conclusive protection and safety philosophy. Out of this philosophy a uniquely integrated concept for protection standards can be developed and implemented into technical and legal standards. State-of-the-art technical standards and regulations for the storage and handling of hazardous material, as well as state-of-the-art groundwater protection, have to refer to the complete spectrum of physical, chemical and biological properties of potential contaminants. Hydrogeologists have to integrate the latest research results and developments of material science, chemistry, physics, biology and the life sciences into their conceptual models and must even include the “green technologies” which start to produce new underestimated hazards. Remediation of soil and groundwater contamination can only be successful, if all the aspects of science and technology are professionally integrated in the planning of the remediation process. In most pollution cases only a well-balanced combination of various methods can guarantee a successful remediation, depending on the geological conditions, the specific properties of the aquifer itself and the extent of the contamination. Finally transboundary aquifers and rivers and the development of international public utility companies urge hydrogeologists to work together on an international basis for the solution of common problems.