An investigation assesses the impact of tourism on water quality

An investigation assesses the impact of tourism on water quality https://i0.wp.com/www.eresviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Una-investigación-evalúa-el-impacto-del-turismo-en-la-calidad-del-agua.jpg?fit=196%2C146&ssl=1

An investigation assesses the impact of tourism on water quality







It is the first time they have done it in that cave and in those conditions and they will not be able to enter it again until the middle of 2019. If the karst system has been completely saturated, the members of the Otleola Speleology Group from Pamplona could have been trapped. Counted like that, it seems like a cinematic adventure, but no. We talked about the Cuevas Garcés, where at the end of last September, a group of experts in cave diving entered this cavity to, for the first time, proceed to take water samples and install different types of sensors, thus collaborating in the hydrogeological investigations that the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) is developing in the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido (Spain).



Because one of the objectives of the project in which these tasks are framed is to evaluate the impact of tourist uses on water quality in the surroundings of the Goriz Refuge (Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park). To this end, several pressure sensors (level), electrical conductivity and temperature have been installed, and water samples taken inside the Garcés Cave thanks to the collaboration of the Otxola Speleology Group.



The logistics of the operations were complex, since as a good part of the system is saturated with water, the cave diving equipment (neoprene suits, diving bottles ...) had to be transported to the entrance of the cave, at about 1900 meters of altitude, above the well-known waterfall of the "Cola de Caballo".







Water sampling. (Photo: IGME)



It should be noted that the work was carried out in the low water season, in the absence of storms and heavy rains during the hours prior to the immersion, given that the karstic nature of the land favors the rapid rise of the water level, with the risk that this implies for cavers. The taking of these data during the next years will help to know the hydrogeological functioning of the system, as well as to evaluate the possible tourist impact on the quality of the groundwater.



This activity is part of the European project PIRAGUA (EFA 210/16) "Evaluation and prospective of the hydrological resources of the Pyrenees in a context of climate change, and adaptation measures with impact on the territory (2018-2020)" (www.opccctp.org/proyecto/piragua). PIRAGUA addresses, through cross-border cooperation, the assessment of the hydrological cycle of the Pyrenees in the context of climate change, unifying and homogenizing existing information, prospecting future scenarios, developing indicators, and proposing adaptation strategies with impact on the territory, with the ultimate goal of supporting investment aimed at adapting to climate change in relation to water resources.



The project has been co-financed at 65% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg V-A Spain-France-Andorra Program (POCTEFA 2014-2020). The objective of the POCTEFA is to reinforce the economic and social integration of the border area Spain-FranceAndorra. Its support focuses on the development of cross-border economic, social and environmental activities through joint strategies in favor of sustainable territorial development. (Source: IGME / DICYT)

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