Hydrogeological properties of a complex Dinaric karst catchment: Miljacka Spring case study

Miljacka is a karst spring situated in Dalmatia, Croatia. The interpretation of the Miljacka Spring catchment area boundary has repeatedly changed in the past, and the main conclusions of previous studies were that the spring, which is located in the Krka River canyon, receives all of its water from another karst river, Zrmanja. Here, we review a new hypothesis that the Miljacka Spring receives some of its water from the Krka River. It was not possible to verify the hypothesis by solely studying the geological composition, structural–tectonic relations and tracer test results. Therefore, a hydrochemical study was performed to confirm the hypothesis. By studying the geological composition, it was found that part of the catchment area of the Krka River is built of evaporites (gypsum and anhydrite), which are different in their mineral composition than carbonates, the usual rock mass of the Dinaric karst. The hydrochemical model was made using the NETPATH-WIN and PHREEQC software packages. The mixing model results confirmed the hypothesis that the Miljacka Spring waters come from both the Zrmanja (including smaller proportion of precipitation infiltrated directly in the karst aquifer) and Krka rivers. This case study shows the great importance of the application of hydrochemical investigations in karst hydrogeology, where research is often difficult due to the complexity of the groundwater system.