Jökull - 01.12.1986, Síða 28

Fig. 18. Freshwater utilization,
present or planned, is mainly for
communal uses or fishfarming.
Mynd 18. Nýting ferskvatnsins er
aðallega til almennrar neyzlu eða
fiskeldis.
Explanations/Skýringar:
1. Exploitation areas / vatnstökusvœði.
2. Supply lines / aðveitur.
3. Fishfarming areas / fiskeldissvœði.
4. Strong freshwater outflow / mikið ferskvatnsút-
rennsli.
5. Estimated discharge from the area / áœtlað
afrennsli af svœðinu. (m3/s)
6. High temperature geothermal field / háhitasvœði.
serious problem in many communities. The total out-
flow in the spring areas from Heiðmörk to Straumsvík
is estimated to be up to 10 m3/s, so that there are still
plentiful resources in this area (fig. 18). No accurate
data is available for the settlements on the Rosm-
hvalanes peninsula and the Keflavík airbase, but 0.25
m3/s is an acceptable estimate for the average extrac-
tion. To this must be added great, but unknown,
quantities of more or less saline water, that the fish
industries are taking close to the coast.
The total infiltration on the Rosmhvalanes penin-
sula is perhaps near to 1.5 m3/s, so that the freshwater
resources in this area are limited. The Suðurnes
Regional Heating is at present extracting near to 0.3
m3/s on the average from the Lágasvæði area. This is
a very favourable extraction area, situated in a highly
permeable “bowl” within less permeable “walls” and
with water of a high quality (fig. 17). West of a line
Vogavík — Grindavík the total infiltration is probably
near to 6 m3/s (fig. 9). Of this quantity only one-half
or even less, remains potable water in the ground. The
rest shows increased salinity and temperature because
of geothermal and coastal effects. However the
reserves for the present users seem to be sufficient for
a time to come. On the other hand this is the future
reserve area for the settlements on Rosmhvalanes.
Growing interest in fishfarming in this area is creating
increasing demands for freshwater. Farther east great,
but unknown, reserves of freshwater are probaly avail-
able in the area of Þorlákshöfn. On the northern coast
notable reserves should be in the Vogavík — Vatns-
leysuvík area, but information concerning quality as
well as quantity is limited.
As regards the whole peninsula the available
resources seem to be sufficient to meet the communal
needs for decades to come at a reasonable cost. This
necessitates a coordination of the exploitation and
timely measures to prevent pollution of the reserve
areas. The reserve areas are very vulnerable to con-
tamination of every kind because of the scanty vege-
tation, thin or absent soil cover and the high perme-
ability of the rocks. The freshwater resources are also
in demand for other uses, especially for fishfarming
and industry. These enterprises are at present on a
preliminary stage, but the scale of the demands in
question can be seen from the total sum of freshwater
demand that has recently been mentioned in connec-
tions with the various fishfarming projects on the
westem part of the Reykjanes peninsula. This sum
amounts to at least 6 m3/s (of 10—12 m3/s total in-
filtration, of which only a part can be extracted.
From this single example it seems clear, that the
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