Catastrophic flood in the polje of Cetinje in February 1986, a typical example of the environmental impact of Karst

The catastrophic flood of February 1986 in the polje of Cetinje, unrecorded in the 500-year long written history of the old Montenegrin capital, was an opportunity to examine some specific features of the complex hydrogeologic system. Above all, it is the incompatibility of the epikarst and endokarst systems of karst aquifers, collectors-conductors, and groundwater reservoirs that causes a hydrological environmental impact on the polje in extremely wet (autumnwinter) periods of the year. This year's flood has indicated that this epikarst system, generally dry most of the year, has a relatively large water-receiving capacity, and that the deeper endokarst system has all attributes of a karst aquifer, much variable transmissivity and low storage capacity.