THEMATIC ISSUE Regional-scale screening of groundwater pollution risk induced by historical mining activities in Serbia Nebojs ˇa Atanackovic ´ 1 • Veselin Dragis ˇic ´ 1 • Vladimir Z ˇ ivanovic ´ 1 • Sunc ˇica Gardijan 1 • Sava Magazinovic ´ 1 Received: 23 June 2016 / Accepted: 3 August 2016 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 Abstract Europe has a long mining history, with some mining sites dating back to prehistoric times. Mining activities have boosted industrial development in many European countries; however, on the other hand, they left behind large degraded areas and polluted sites. This mining heritage, from small-scale mines to large industrial mining complexes, adversely affects natural resources and the environment. Exploration and mining of mineral ores have been quite extensive in Serbia. Most exploited were as follows: coal, copper, Pb–Zn ores, accompanying gold and silver and anti- mony. Groundwater resources are frequently impacted by mining operations, both during mining activities and after mine closure. For proper protection and management of groundwater resources, it is necessary to identify and char- acterize pollution sources within groundwater bodies. Aban- doned mining sites, along with associated facilities for the preparation and processing of ores, waste rock disposal sites and tailings, constitute potential hazards and can have a negative effect on groundwater quality. This paper describes a methodology developed for regional-scale screening of the groundwater pollution risk from abandoned mining sites. As a first step, intrinsic groundwater vulnerability was assessed on the basis of readily available data. As potential polluters, 59 abandoned mining sites were included in the analysis. The hazard identification process comprised physical characteri- zation of mining sites and hydrochemical assessment of mine water originating from those sites. A simple indexing method was developed for hazard and risk quantification. To assess the spatial distribution of the groundwater pollution risk, all data were incorporated and analyzed in a GIS environment. As a result of initial screening, several abandoned, mostly metallic mines were found to have higher-risk ratings for groundwater contamination. The methodology based on examples from Serbia can also be used in other regions for developing man- agement strategies and directing of remediation activities. Keywords Mine water Á Abandoned mine Á Risk assessment Á Groundwater contamination Á Serbia Introduction Given Europe’s long mining history, there are abandoned mining sites in nearly all European countries. This mining heritage, from small-scale mines to large industrial mining complexes, has an adverse effect on the environment. The European Union recognized the problem and adopted the so- called Mining Waste Directive in 2006 (European Com- mission 2006), which requires that an inventory of closed and abandoned waste facilities be created. In this framework, a preliminary risk assessment and prioritization of aban- doned mining sites for future remedial activities need to be undertaken. The impact of ongoing and abandoned mining This article is a part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on ‘‘Groundwater Vulnerability’’, edited by Dr. Andrzej Witkowski & Nebojs ˇa Atanackovic ´ n.atanackovic@rgf.rs Veselin Dragis ˇic ´ v.dragisic@rgf.bg.ac.rs Vladimir Z ˇ ivanovic ´ v.zivanovic@rgf.bg.ac.rs Sunc ˇica Gardijan suncica.ninkovic@gmail.com Sava Magazinovic ´ savam981@yahoo.com 1 Department of Hydrogeology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia 123 Environ Earth Sci (2016) 75:1152 DOI 10.1007/s12665-016-5983-9