The town Pozarevac water supply is endangered due to groundwater quality degradation on the only remaining water source Kljuc 1. Nitrate content presents critical parameter (MCL in potable water is 50 mg NO3/l) with values in cumulative samples up to 40-45 mg NO3/l, locally up to 70-100 mg NO3/l. Rapid water quality degradation on water source in the last few years is a consequence of the surrounding activities which have influenced on quality deterioration, excessive groundwater extraction, off-line of water source Meminac, unfavourable hydrologic conditions etc.

Concentrations of nitrate above defined levels for portable water are present in most of the groundwater sources in Velika Morava river alluvion. Some problems exists in Meminac and Kljuc, groundwater sources of Pozarevac town. Some detail investigations were organized in 2002. Survey of groundwater quality in the wide surrounding of Kljuc confirmed some earlier made assumptions about influence of agriculture and sewage water, and their contribution to existing groundwater quality.

In Serbia, in the most cases, drinking water supply is based on alluvial sources. The appearance of nitrate in some important alluvium aquifer has been observed and an increasing of this problem can be expected with a currently tendency for intensifying the agricultural production. Therefore, the used techniques which are able to identify the source of nitrate in groundwaters and existing processes of its reduction will be more and more requested. Simultaneously determination of both nitrogen and oxygen isotopic fingerprints allows us to make a difference between nitrate from artificial fertilizer and manure or animal waste as well as nitrate formed from nitrification of organic material and consequently the dominant source of the nitrate to be indicated. Once the origin of nitrate in drinking water sources is understood, corrective measures may be taken to prevent or minimize further contamination.