scholarly journals Influence of Anthropogenic Loads on Surface Water Status: A Case Study in Lithuania

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4341
Author(s):  
Laima Česonienė ◽  
Daiva Šileikienė ◽  
Vitas Marozas ◽  
Laura Čiteikė
Keyword(s):  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Agricultural Pollution ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Water Catchment ◽  
Lake Basins

Twenty-six water bodies and 10 ponds were selected for this research. Anthropogenic loads were assessed according to pollution sources in individual water catchment basins. It was determined that 50% of the tested water bodies had Ntotal values that did not correspond to the good and very good ecological status classes, and 20% of the tested water bodies had Ptotal values that did not correspond to the good and very good ecological status classes. The lake basins and ponds received the largest amounts of pollution from agricultural sources with total nitrogen at 1554.13 t/year and phosphorus at 1.94 t/year, and from meadows and pastures with total nitrogen at 9.50 t/year and phosphorus at 0.20 t/year. The highest annual load of total nitrogen for lake basins on average per year was from agricultural pollution from arable land (98.85%), and the highest total phosphorus load was also from agricultural pollution from arable land (60%).

Influence of Anthropogenic Load in River Basins on River Water Status: A Case Study in Lithuania

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1312
Author(s):  
Laima Česonienė ◽  
Daiva Šileikienė ◽  
Midona Dapkienė
Keyword(s):  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Anthropogenic Load ◽  
Agricultural Pollution ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
The Impact

Twenty-four rivers in different parts of Lithuania were selected for the study. The aim of the research was to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic load on the ecological status of rivers. Anthropogenic loads were assessed according to the pollution sources in individual river catchment basins. The total nitrogen (TN) values did not correspond to the “good” and “very good” ecological status classes in 51% of the tested water bodies; 19% had a “bad” to “moderate” BOD7, 50% had “bad” to “moderate” NH4-N, 37% had “bad” to “moderate” NO3-N, and 4% had “bad” to “moderate” PO4-P. The total phosphorus (TP) values did not correspond to the “good” and “very good” ecological status classes in 4% of the tested water bodies. The largest amounts of pollution in river basins were generated from the following sources: transit pollution, with 87,599 t/year of total nitrogen and 5020 t/year of total phosphorus; agricultural pollution, with 56,031 t/year of total nitrogen and 2474 t/year of total phosphorus. The highest total nitrogen load in river basins per year, on average, was from transit pollution, accounting for 53.89%, and agricultural pollution, accounting for 34.47%. The highest total phosphorus load was also from transit pollution, totaling 58.78%, and agricultural pollution, totaling 28.97%. Multiple regression analysis showed the agricultural activity had the biggest negative influence on the ecological status of rivers according to all studied indicators.

scholarly journals Impact of potash mining in streams: the Llobregat basin (northeast Spain) as a case study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Ladrera ◽  
Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles ◽  
Narcís Prat
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Potash Mining ◽  
Rivers And Streams ◽  
Fluvial Habitat ◽  
Good Ecological Status

Potash mining is significantly increasing the salt concentration of rivers and streams due to lixiviates coming from the mine tailings. In the present study, we have focused on the middle Llobregat basin (northeast Spain), where an important potash mining activity exists from the beginning of the XX century. Up to 50 million tonnes of saline waste have been disposed in the area, mainly composed of sodium chloride. We assessed the ecological status of streams adjacent to the mines by studying different physicochemical and hydromorphological variables, as well as aquatic macroinvertebrates. We found extraordinary high values of salinity in the studied streams, reaching conductivities up to 132.4 mS/cm. Salt-polluted streams were characterized by a deterioration of the riparian vegetation and the fluvial habitat. Both macroinvertebrate richness and abundance decreased with increasing salinity. In the most polluted stream only two families of macroinvertebrates were found: Ephydridae and Ceratopogonidae. According to the biotic indices IBMWP and IMMi-T, none of the sites met the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD; i.e., good ecological status). Overall, we can conclude that potash-mining activities have the potential to cause severe ecological damage to their surrounding streams. This is mainly related to an inadequate management of the mine tailings, leading to highly saline runoff and percolates entering surface waters. Thus, we urge water managers and policy makers to take action to prevent, detect and remediate salt pollution of rivers and streams in potash mining areas.

Case study of Marquette-Lez-Lille WWTP: application of IFAS and THP for a city of the future

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-268
Author(s):  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Min Ji ◽  
Mark Elliott ◽  
Julien Chauzy ◽  
Xiaohua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Sludge Treatment ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Good Ecological Status

The Lille metropolitan area awarded Veolia Water the contract to reconstruct the Marquette-lez-Lille wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in 2010, the biggest such facility in the north of France. The capacity of the new WWTP is 700,000 m³/day, serving a population of 620,000. It will be built on the site of the previous one, which is now obsolete. The renovation work comprises four treatment lines, including wastewater, stormwater sludge treatment lines, and a deodorization line. By applying state-of-the-art design and proven technologies, especially Hybas™ and Exelys™-DLD, a sustainable development solution was provided to local communities. The effluent from the new plant will meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) on ‘good ecological status’ of water, and the treated storm water will be used to irrigate 7 hectares wetland. Compared with conventional digestion, the Exelys™-DLD configuration will further reduce sludge quantities by 30% and increase biogas production by 20%. Thereby, 94% of the power requirements will be supplied from the plant itself. The water line started operating in February 2013, and commissioning of the sludge line, which started in July 2014, was expected to finish in February 2015. In this paper, the design concept of the sustainable development solution is presented, as well as the application of showcase technologies for wastewater and sludge treatment.

A machine learning model to link ecological response and anthropogenic stressors: a tool for water management in the Tagus River Basin (Spain)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlotta Valerio ◽  
Alberto Garrido ◽  
Gonzalo Martinez-Muñoz ◽  
Lucia De Stefano
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
Tagus River ◽  
Good Ecological Status

<p>Freshwater ecosystems are threatened by multiple anthropic pressures. Understanding the effect of pressures on the ecological status is essential for the design of effective policy measures but can be challenging from a methodological point of view. In this study we propose to capture these complex relations by means of a machine learning model that predicts the ecological response of surface water bodies to several anthropic stressors. The model was applied to the Spanish stretch of the Tagus River Basin. The performance of two machine learning algorithms -Random Forest (RF) and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) - was compared. The response variables in the model were the biotic quality indices of macroinvertebrates (Iberian Biomonitoring Working Party) and diatoms (Indice de Polluosensibilité Spécifique). The stressors used as explanatory variables belong to the following categories: physicochemical water quality, land use, alteration of the hydrological regime and hydromorphological degradation. Variables describing the natural environmental variability were also included. According to the coefficient of determination, the root mean square error and the mean absolute error, the RF algorithm has the best explanatory power for both biotic indices. The categories of land cover in the upstream catchment area, the nutrient concentrations and the elevation of the water body are ranked as the main features at play in determining the quality of biological communities. Among the hydromorphological elements, the alteration of the riparian forest (expressed by the Riparian Forest Quality Index) is the most relevant feature, while the hydrological alteration does not seem to influence significantly the value of the biotic indices. Our model was used to identify potential policy measures aimed at improving the biological quality of surface water bodies in the most critical areas of the basin. Specifically, the biotic quality indices were modelled imposing the maximum concentration of nutrients that the Spanish legislation prescribes to ensure a good ecological status. According to our model, the nutrient thresholds set by the Spanish legislation are insufficient to ensure values of biological indicators consistent with the good ecological status in the entire basin. We tested several scenarios of more restrictive nutrient concentrations and values of hydromorphological quality to explore the conditions required to achieve the good ecological status. The predicted percentage of water bodies in good status increases when a high  Riparian Forest Quality Index is set, confirming the importance of combining physico-chemical and hydromorphological improvements in order to ameliorate the status of freshwater ecosystems. </p>

scholarly journals Relationship between the Water Quality Elements of Water Bodies and the Hydrometric Parameters: Case Study in Lithuania

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Laima Česonienė ◽  
Daiva Šileikienė ◽  
Midona Dapkienė
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus ◽  
Fish Index

The larger and deeper lakes and ponds are, the better the conditions for spontaneous water purification, slower hydrobiological processes and slower accumulation of sediment. The goal of this research was to assess the ecological status of selected Lithuanian lentic water bodies and the impact of morphometric indicators on water quality. Multiple studies were conducted on 29 lakes and 10 ponds located throughout Lithuania in 2014–2018. The study proved that higher maxima and average depths of lakes correlate with lower Ptotal, Ntotal yield and macrophyte taxonomic composition values, indicating higher ecological status class. Higher chlorophyll a EQR, ichthyofauna taxonomic composition indicator for Lithuanian fish index LFI and Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrate index indicates a higher ecological class. Larger lake areas contain smaller amounts of Ptotal and Ntotal, indicating better ecological status class; higher ichthyophane taxonomic composition in LFI, zoobenthos taxonomic composition indicator for Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrates index (LLMI) and taxonomic composition of macrophytes MRI indicate better ecological status class. Larger lake areas contain lower chlorophyll a EQR values. Rapid water exchange improves the condition of the lake in addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll a EQR values. The faster the water exchange in the lake is, the lower the Ptotal and Ntotal values; faster water exchange in the lake also means higher chlorophyll a EQR values. However, slower water exchange indicates better ecological status of the macrophytic taxonomic composition of the MRI, the ichthyofauna taxonomic composition and the Lithuanian lakes’ macroinvertebrates index indicator of zoobenthos.

Searching for a compromise between ecological quality targets, and social and ecosystem costs for heavily modified water bodies (HMWBs): the Lambro-Seveso-Olona system case study

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Azzellino ◽  
M. Antonelli ◽  
S. Canobbio ◽  
S. Çevirgen ◽  
V. Mezzanotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Status ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Chemical Textile ◽  
Great Damage ◽  
Italian Legislation ◽  
Quality Status

The Lambro-Seveso-Olona (L-S-O) system derives from the human regulation of the natural hydrology of the territory around Milan city area. The average population density in the L-S-O area is among the highest in Italy and Europe. Industry is also highly developed in this basin: chemical, textile, paper, pulp and food industries being the most important ones. Although, at present, the L-S-O system no longer receives the untreated wastewaters of the Milan urban area, treated wastewaters constitute about half of the streamflow. Biotic communities in this river have a long history of poor quality status, having suffered great damage due to domestic and industrial discharges. Recently, new chemical quality standards for macropollutants have been set by the Italian legislation as support for the good ecological status according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This new index is very restrictive, and it makes it extremely challenging to achieve the water quality objectives for the L-S-O system. The aim of this study is to analyse through a modelling exercise the restoration possibilities of the L-S-O system, investigating both the source apportionment of the macropollutants, the discharge limits that should be set to achieve the good quality status and their corresponding cost.

scholarly journals Balance between the Reliability of Classification and Sampling Effort: A Multi-Approach for the Water Framework Directive (WFD) Ecological Status Applied to the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1572
Author(s):  
Cacciatore ◽  
Bonometto ◽  
Paganini ◽  
Sfriso ◽  
Novello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Spatial Interpolation ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Spatial Analyses

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires Member States to assess the ecological status of water bodies and provide an estimation of the classification confidence and precision. This study tackles the issue of the uncertainty in the classification, due to the spatial variability within each water body, proposing an analysis of the reliability of classification, using the results of macrophyte WFD monitoring in the Venice Lagoon as case study. The level of classification confidence, assessed for each water body, was also used as reference to optimize the sampling effort for the subsequent monitorings. The ecological status of macrophytes was calculated by the Macrophyte Quality Index at 114 stations located in 11 water bodies. At water body scale, the level of classification confidence ranges from 54% to 100%. After application of the multi-approach (inferential statistics, spatial analyses, and expert judgment), the optimization of the sampling effort resulted in a reduction of the number of stations from 114 to 84. The decrease of sampling effort was validated by assessing the reliability of classification after the optimization process (54–99%) and by spatial interpolation of data (Kernel standard error of 22.75%). The multi-approach proposed in this study could be easily applied to any other water body and biological quality element.

Risk and monitoring based indicators of receiving water status: alternative or complementary elements in IWRM?

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Völker ◽  
S. Richter ◽  
D. Borchardt ◽  
V. Mohaupt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Biological Indicator ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Ecological Indicator ◽  
Initial Characterization ◽  
Existing Data

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) was enacted in the year 2000 with a stepwise approach. After legal implementation in the various member states large efforts were undertaken for the initial characterization of water bodies, risk assessment, to implement extensive monitoring schemes and to develop management plans at different aggregation levels by the year 2010. The initial characterization process and risk assessment had to be finalized by 2004 and delineated water bodies including a typological classification and identified the significant pressures and impacts in a screening procedure. In parallel, monitoring programmes and new biological indicator systems were developed in order to proof and refine the results of the risk assessment with an ecological indicator based assessment in a subsequent step which was finalized in 2009. Although the risk assessment for Germany was based on existing data that were originally collected for other purposes and came from a large variety of environmental or economical sectors, the results differ only slightly from the monitoring and indicator based information with respect to classifications of the ‘ecological status’ and ‘chemical status’. From this result we conclude that a risk assessment based on a careful application and intelligent combination of existing data sources with proven quality allows the recognition of trends and the identification of priorities for action of measures already at an early stage of a management process. However, monitoring schemes and advanced sets of ecological indicators are essential in later management steps both for narrowing uncertainties remaining from the risk assessment and to allow for effect controls of implemented measures. Moreover, these monitoring indicators should differentiate the effects of multiple stressors more factor specific and with respect to ecosystem states and functions. In conclusion, we see risk and indicator based assessments as complementary elements in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which have to be linked in systematic and phased procedures.

scholarly journals Application of Macrophytes to the Assessment and Classification of Ecological Status above and below the Barrage with Hydroelectric Buildings

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Tomczyk ◽  
Mirosław Wiatkowski ◽  
Łukasz Gruss
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Status ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Past ◽  
Trophic Index ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Reference Index ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Reference Section

The key goal of the Water Framework Directive is to achieve a good ecological status in water bodies. The ecological status is mainly determined by the biological elements, which are a very good indicator of the changes taking place in water environments. Thus, this article focuses on the analysis of different methods of assessment of the ecological status of water bodies based on macrophytes used in selected countries in the European Union (the Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MMOR)—Poland; the Mean Trophic Rank (MTR)—Ireland; the Trophic Index of Macrophytes (TIM)—Bavaria, Germany; the Bulgarian Reference Index of Macrophytes (RI-BG)—Bulgaria). Three research sections have been selected for research on the river Ślęza: The reference section, the section above the barrage and the section below the barrage. The analysis carried out revealed considerable similarity between the results obtained by all these methods—the differences were at most by one class of ecological status (and the analysis of sums of Wilcoxon’s ranks revealed that there were no differences between the results obtained using different methods, i.e., p = 0.860). With respect to surface waters, investigation of biological elements is important because it allows one to retrace the past and foresee the future based on the past and present trends in the changes occurring in the species diversity and structure of not only macrophytes, but also other groups of organisms. Further action is required that would determine the scope of influence of barrages with hydroelectric buildings on the environment (in the case of the investigated barrage this influence is negative).

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