Research Polygon • Water pump Velika Gorica

Lab Activities

VG VODOOPSKRBA d.o.o. water supply from Velika Gorica and the FACULTY OF MINING - GEOLOGY - PETROLEUM ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB, on 15.11.2016. signed an agreement for scientific and professional cooperation. As part of this cooperation, the project under name "Quantification of effective precipitation infiltration and identification of hydraulic parameters of Zagreb aquifer unsaturated zone by establishing a research polygon, Pilot area - Velika Gorica wellfield" was launched, which includes research of aquifers (unsaturated and saturated zones).

Teaching-research polygon is designed as a pedological pit which is 3,25 m deep and has external floor dimensions of 3.4 × 3.4 m (internal dimensions 3 × 3 × 3 m). The pedological pit has glass walls which enable visual inspection of the unsaturated zone profile and the installation of the probes for unsaturated zone processes monitoring. Teaching-research polygon also has a weather station installed on the surface and a pluviometer without evaporation beneath the station.

The main purpose of this scientific research is to quantify the value of effective infiltration which seeps all the way down to the water table and to determine the main geochemical processes that are occurring in the unsaturated zone. The research will enable detail quantification of amount and intensity rate of precipitation, and also the precipitation infiltration in the unsaturated zone and aquifer. The research will improve the knowledge about aquifer boundaries and parameters, which will further upgrade the regional groundwater models as well as the unsaturated flow models through the Zagreb aquifer.

Head of the Lab: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Prof., PhD.

Analytical procedure and test method

TDR probes TRIME PICO 64 for measuring electrical conductivity, temperature and moisture content, Suction Cups for water sampling for isotope and chemical analyzes, as well as tensiometers for matric suction measurement were installed in the eastern wall of the peological pit. All data is stored on the data storage devices data logger IMKO globeLog and dataTaker DT80 which are located in the pit.

The Davis Vantage Pro2 meteorological station is installed on the surface next to the pedological pit at a height of 2,5 meters, and measures the amount of precipitation, solar and UV radiation, humidity, wind strength and direction. Beneath meteorologic station is pluviometer for precipitation sampling. The installation of devices at the research site was completed in early 2019, and from February 1, 2019. the measurements are continuously collecting data of electrical conductivity, temperature, moisture content and matric suction, and the amount of precipitation, solar radiation, humidity, wind strength and direction and air temperature. The collection of water samples for chemical and isotope analyzes is carried out on a monthly basis. All data that are continuously collected and stored, are processed in accordance with the research program.

Small and medium sized equipment

Naziv inventara	Primjena	Slika
TDR probes Trime Pico 64	Measuring electrical conductivity, temperature and moisture content in the unsaturated zone
*Suction Cups*	Water sampling for chemical and isotope analyzes
Data storage devices IMKO globeLog i dataTaker DT80	Data collection and storage
Meteorological station Davis Vantage Pro2	Measuring precipitation, solar and UV radiation, humidity, wind strength and direction and air temperature
Pluviometer without evaporation	Precipitation sampling for isotope analyzes
*Tensiometer Tensio 152*	Matric suction measurement

Teaching in the Lab (students' practical work)

Course	Teaching methods
Water Protection	Practical excercises, thesis research
Hidrogeology	Practical excercises, thesis research
Hydrogeological Investigations Design	Practical excercises, thesis research

Teaching in Lab (Students’ research)

Student	Tema rada
Laura Bačani	Development of flow model in unsaturated zone
Iva Vukadin	Hydrogeochemical characteristics at the Velika Gorica wellfield
Ana Rečić	Calculation of reference and actual evapotranspiration in the area of the Velika Gorica wellfield
Adriana Kukolja	Hydraulic conductivity estimation with constant level permeameter method owith in the area of Velika Gorica

Projects in Lab

Research

Continuous monitoring of precipitation amount and infiltration through unsaturated zone as well the properties of soil and unsaturated zone (temperature, electric conductivity, moisture content and matric suction).

Continuous sampling of precipitation, leachate and groundwater in order to monitor their ionic and isotopic composition. The teaching-research polygon is also suitable for further research that should follow, which will, among other things, be focused on the pollution migration from the surface of the terrain through the unsaturated zone to the groundwater.

Educational

The education is carried out within Hydrogeology graduate study (Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology program and Environmental Geology program) and Mining graduate study (Geotechnics program)

The study curriculum enables students gaining new theoretical and practical knowledge about the flow of water through the soil and unsaturated zone, and monitoring methods (electric conductivity, water content, temperature and matric suction monitoring) as well as leachate collection in unsaturated zone.

Professional

Figure 1 Teaching-research polygon (the pit and meteorologic station).

Figure 2 Glass walls for visual inspection of the unsaturated zone profile and the installation of the probes.