Feasibility Study of Managed Aquifer Recharge Deployment on the Island of Vis (Croatia)

Matko Patekar (), Mojca Soža, Marco Pola, Zoran Nakić, Mihaela Bašić, Josip Terzić and Staša Borović
Additional contact information
Matko Patekar: Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mojca Soža: Vitar u Krmu Ltd., Vukovac 5, 22202 Primošten, Croatia
Marco Pola: Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Nakić: Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mihaela Bašić: Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Josip Terzić: Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Staša Borović: Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Over the last decades, the quality and quantity of the Mediterranean freshwater resources have significantly deteriorated due to climate change, unsustainable utilization, user conflicts, and seawater intrusions. On the small and remote island of Vis, where similar issues prevail, the need for alternative water management solutions has yielded managed aquifer recharge (MAR) as a promising option for increasing the safety and resilience of the local and autonomous water supply. By performing a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) to evaluate the feasibility of the deployment of an infiltration pond method in the Korita well field, the results evidenced a positive financial performance and sustainability of the proposed MAR solution. In addition, the overall economic benefits of the project, quantified through the willingness-to-pay method, significantly exceeded its costs, as evidenced by the high benefit/cost ratio of 2.83. The most significant uncertainty related to the infiltration pond method is represented by the high sensitivity to changes in the applied hydrological assumptions (i.e., the evaporation coefficient and number of annual infiltration pond recharges). This study aims to contribute to the understanding of interrelated socio-economic factors of MAR projects in karst aquifers, and represents the first of its kind in Croatia.

Keywords: managed aquifer recharge; karst; island; feasibility study; Croatia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/9934/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/9934/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:9934-:d:1176528

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().