ABSTRACT
Vulnerability assessment of karst aquifers is an important tool for groundwater management and protection. Karst aquifers are highly vulnerable due to the heterogeneous distribution of permeability, which may be responsible for the rapid transport of pollutants in conduits, developed by carbonate mineral dissolution. Thus, groundwater exploitation in karst aquifers requires special management strategies to prevent water quality and quantity depletion. SINTACS and COP methods have been applied to assess intrinsic vulnerability of the karst aquifer feeding the Pertuso Spring, in the Upper Valley of Aniene River, which is going to be exploited to supply an important water network in the southern part of Rome district. The results of this comparative study highlight that the vulnerability of this karst aquifer ranges from low to high for SINTACS and from low to very high for COP method. The SINTACS method defines mainly two classes, moderate and high vulnerability, while COP method indicates that most of the area is highly and very highly vulnerable in the karst features, which is not marked on SINTACS maps. The COP shows more realistic results than the SINTACS method because it takes into account the role of the highly developed epikarst, which minimises the protective function of the unsaturated zone.
