Ecological Impact Assessment for the Groundwater Recharging in the Urban Development Areas of Kastamonu Karaçomak Basin

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the ecological impact of groundwater recharging in the urban development area in the north of Kastamonu city. In this respect, the urban development area was examined in terms of water permeability, which is one of the functions of the landscape, and the ecological impact assessment was carried out in order to determine the level of change in groundwater recharging and land cover before and after urban development. With the methods used within the scope of the study, negative changes in groundwater and water retention capacity can be revealed as a result of other interventions on urbanization and landscape. On the other hand, it is important that landscape plans, where the ecological processes expressed as landscape function, including groundwater recharging and surface runoff potential, are considered as the priority action area of the multi-layered spatial planning process, rather than the investigation of the mentioned negativities after planning and/or implementation.