ABSTRACT
Groundwater protection in karst regions appears to be one of the crucial problems of regional planning and development. The karst environment is unusually sensitive to any change in natural conditions because its reactions to such disturbances are fast and often drastic. The karst aquifer is especially sensitive and should be under strict protection against groundwater pollution. However, the criteria for determining the zones of sanitary protection in karst are essentially different from the criteria for nonkarst terrain. The important difference between karst aquifers and aquifers in intergranular or low permeable rocks is a considerably shorter contact of the contaminant with the rock matrix because of its fast circulation through karst conduits. The contaminated water waves quickly spread through the karst aquifer, that is, the time available for the autopurification process is very short.
