Assessment of the pollution probability in borjomi-bakuriani area by application of hydrochemical and stable isotope methods

Abstract

Borjomi field of thermal water is a source of famous mineral water, which is exported to dozens of countries and forms a significant part of the budget of Georgia. Recently, in connection with the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Jeikhan pipeline, serious concerns arise with respect to vulnerability of water supply of the city of Borjomi caused by possible oi spills related to the operation of the pipeline. In the paper, we consider mainly the interaction between surface water and groundwater of the Bakuriani-Borjomi lava flow and the possibility of their pollution with hydrocarbons in the case of oil spilling. In order to define the possible pollution propagation, we apply hydro-chemical methods, stable isotope technology and other modern hydro-geophysical methods, which were adequate for better understanding of existing hydrogeological models, parameters and the risk of pollution is evaluated.