Water Resources in Slovenia

Abstract

Slovenia is characterized by an abundance of water in a great variety of forms. The river network comprises almost 28,000 km of watercourses (1.4 km/km2). However, these are not equally distributed because about 40% of Slovenia is karst and therefore almost without surface waters. Rivers from four–fifths of Slovenian territory flow several hundred kilometers to the Black Sea and from less than one fifth into the nearer Adriatic Sea. The few small natural lakes are either tectonic, glacial, or karst. The once-extensive swamps and marshes have shrunk significantly due to water regulation, and climate change has also caused the two Slovenian glaciers on Mount Triglav and Mount Skuta to shrink drastically. The population’s water supply relies heavily on groundwater. This is divided into aquifers with intergranular porosity, karst fissure porosity, and fissure porosity, all of which are threatened by pollution. Slovenia has a small share of coastal water: part of the Adriatic Sea’s Gulf of Trieste. Many parts of the country are threatened by different types of floods. The right to drinkable water is mentioned in the Slovenian constitution as a fundamental right.