Review: Methodological approaches and research techniques for addressing construction and remediation problems in karst reservoirs

One of the aspects of reservoirs formed in highly karstified terrains is the wide range of unknowns. These unknowns impact the risks and problems that follow through from the initial design phase and field research, to dam construction, reservoir formation, filling and operation. Unfortunately, despite complex research and usually extensive remedial work, a large number of reservoirs constructed in karst terrains have problems with water losses at the dam site, as well as losses from the reservoir to other aquifers due to disturbance of the natural state of the karst aquifer. The great unpredictability of reservoirs in heavily karstified terrain means that, frequently, some can only be partially filled and some remain completely dry due to increased leakage. However, the risk component can be considerably reduced by improving research methods, by using regional hydrogeological, tectonic, speleogenetic and other approaches that are frequently neglected or underutilized in the project planning and field research phases. This paper reviews the methodological approach of dam construction and reservoir formation in karst terrains, from the early stages of project planning through the research phase to the filling phase and the operational state of the reservoir, highlighting and presenting some standard, as well as some unconventional, research techniques that can greatly assist in all stages of the project.