About project

Project INCOME is intended for the establishment of an effective management of contaminated aquifers. The project connects procedures for discovering and supervising sources of pollution, and measures for improving the condition.

Ljubljansko polje and Ljubljansko barje are the two most important water sources for the capital city of Slovenia and its surrounding area. The long-term objectives of the project INCOME is to preserve the quality of these water sources for future generations.

The natural conditions of the project’s area are characterised by the significantly high vulnerability of the aquifer, high velocities of groundwater flow and pollutant transport, and a strong interconnection between the surface and groundwater. This is why it is most important that the response to accidental pollutions should be very fast and augmented by the use of sophisticated technology.

Anthropogenic conditions are characterised by high pressures from urbanization, industry, traffic, agriculture, and old environmental burdens. The status of groundwater is deteriorating in spite of basic measures and actual environmental standards. Unknown pollution sources represent an important part of these pressures.

Previous protection measures were not adequately implemented; the hierarchy of protection measures was not adequately consolidated and these measures were not brought into practice in the different fields of land-use and spatial planning. The endangered groundwater is the only public supply of drinkable water, which should be maintained for future use and oriented towards assuring the highest level of quality of groundwater. The aquifer protection should switch from being reactive to ‘proactive’ and should incorporate stakeholders and policy makers in the spatial planning process and all other relevant fields of management.