IRRIGATION WATER QUALITY AND CRITERIA/STANDARDS IN CROATIA - CONTRIBUTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND INDUSTRY

The water quality used for irrigation should meet the prescribed criteria. The most commonly determined indicators are electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved salts (TDS), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR). Water can also contain harmful substances, regardless of whether irrigation is carried out from surface water or groundwater. The origin of the pollution can be waste, untreated wastewater or saltwater intrusion. The use of poor water quality can cause soil problems such as alkalinity, salinity, increased sodium concentration, toxicity, etc. In Korivnica-Križevci county (KKŽ) and throughout Croatia, irrigation is currently poorly represented in agriculture. Given the climate change and the trends of very dry and hot seasons, the implementation of irrigation is of increasing importance. According to the results of determining the groundwater quality for irrigation in KKŽ, the values of the indicators are satisfactory (EC = <0.7 dS/m; TDS = <450 mg/l; RSC = <1.25 meq/l; SAR =