A common framework for the development of spring water contamination early warning system in western Mediterranean karst areas: Spanish and French sites.

Karst water resources, traditionally used worldwide for drinking purposes, are highly vulnerable to contamination. Scientific-technical efforts must therefore be done to ensure sufficient water quality for human consumption. Early-Warning-Systems emerge as an effective spring scale protection strategy for real-time identification of contamination episodes at drinking water capture points.

Real-time karst groundwater monitoring and bacterial analysis as early warning strategies for drinking water supply contamination.

Karst aquifers have been globally exploited as a reliable source of drinking water but their intrinsic characteristics (concentrated recharge, high groundwater flow velocities, etc.) and the increase of anthropogenic pressures makes them highly vulnerable to pollution. Continuous monitoring of karst springs constitutes an effective approach for identifying episodic groundwater contamination and assuring safety conditions in drinking water supply systems.