Monitoring the Impact of Artificial Structure on Hydrogeological Environment: A Case Study of Hydraulic Tunnel at Pirot Hydropower Plant.

Artificial objects, particularly tunnels used for water transport under pressure, impact the geological and hydrogeological environment to a greater or lesser extent, and it is vital to assess their contributions to groundwater quality. Although tunnels are typically lined with concrete, their interaction with the hydrogeological environment intensifies over time. In this study, the detailed spatiotemporal monitoring of all hydrogeological features within the potential influence zone of the hydraulic tunnel of the Pirot Hydropower Plant has been conducted in order to determine the degree of interaction between the artificial object and the natural environment in real time, and to assess the correlation between monitored parameters.