and Sosnowica. The present paper uses the data from the surveys conducted in these communes in 2016. On average, 88% of the population used the water supply system in the communes surveyed, while 48% of the inhabitants were connected to a sewerage system. Parczew District had 12 collective mechanical and biological wastewater treatment plants with a capacity exceeding 5 m 3 /d. The households which were not connected to the sewerage network discharged the wastewater mainly to non-return tanks. In the communes surveyed, 1,115 households had domestic wastewater treatment plants. All of them were systems with infiltration drainage, which do not ensure high efficiency of removing pollutions and may even contribute to the degradation of the groundwater quality. In order to solve the existing problems of sewage and water management in the communes of Parczew District, it is necessary to further develop the collective sewerage systems and equip the areas which have a dispersed development layout with highly efficient domestic treatment plants, such as constructed wetlands.
The results of research on the efficiency and technological reliability of domestic wastewater purification in two household wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with activated sludge are presented in this paper. The studied facilities were located in the territory of the Roztocze National Park (Poland). The mean wastewater flow rate in the WWTPs was 1.0 and 1.6 m3/day. In 2017–2019, 20 series of analyses were done, and 40 wastewater samples were taken. On the basis of the received results, the efficiency of basic pollutant removal was determined. The technological reliability of the tested facilities was specified using the Weibull method. The average removal efficiencies for the biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 66–83% and 62–65%, respectively. Much lower effects were obtained for total suspended solids (TSS) and amounted to 17–48%, while the efficiency of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) removal did not exceed 34%. The analyzed systems were characterized by the reliability of TSS, BOD5, and COD removal at the level of 76–96%. However, the reliability of TN and TP elimination was less than 5%. Thus, in the case of biogenic compounds, the analyzed systems did not guarantee that the quality of treated wastewater would meet the requirements of the Polish law during any period of operation. This disqualifies the discussed technological solution in terms of its wide application in protected areas and near lakes, where the requirements for nitrogen and phosphorus removal are high.
One of the prerequisites for maintaining good quality of environment in a given area is the creation of an appropriate water and sewage infrastructure. Despite a significant progress which occurred in the previous 20 years, the population of Poland, especially the people inhabiting rural areas, have a limited access to the water supply and sewage infrastructure. According to the data collected in 2018 by the Polish Central Statistical Office, 85% of people in rural areas had access to water supply network, whereas only 41% had access to a sewage system [GUS 2019a]. In turn, in the Lublin province, 80.6% of rural population was connected to a water supply network, but only 21.8% used a sewage system [Statistical Office in Lublin, 2019]. One of the main reasons for a slow development of the sewage infrastructure in rural areas of Poland, especially in the Lublin province, is the significant dispersal of settlements, which adds to the cost intensity of the investment process. In accordance with the Water Act [2017] as well as the Announcement of the Marshal of the
Data for the years 2001–2020 on changes in the amount of rainwater in the Roztocze National Park (RNP) in the catchment area of the Świerszcz River (Poland) were investigated to evaluate the possibility of using rainwater in the park for various purposes in the context of ongoing climate variability. An analysis of data from the RNP’s Integrated Monitoring of the Natural Environment showed that the average annual air temperature increased by 2.1 °C over the 20-year period, while the amount of precipitation decreased, especially in the winter seasons. These changes periodically led to a negative hydrological balance. As an effect, the groundwater table was gradually lowering, the flow of the Świerszcz River was reduced, and there were periodic shortages of water feeding the Echo Ponds. Water shortages also negatively affected the flora and fauna of the RNP. In order to quantitatively protect the Park’s water resources, a proposition was made to build a rainwater management system at the Animal Breeding Centre in Florianka to provide water for watering Polish Konik horses, flushing toilets, washing cars and agricultural equipment, and fire-prevention purposes. The excess water would be discharged to a nearby pond, which is an amphibian breeding site. It was estimated that the system was capable of meeting 100% of the demand for lower-quality water in the summer period. Moreover, it was determined that 9109 m3 of rainwater could be obtained annually from the roofs of all public utility buildings located in the RNP.
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