This paper presents the changes in concentration of seven biogenic indices in the Wisłok River water and determines the water treatment processes required in order to obtain water fit for consumption. The investigations were conducted during 2004–2013, and water samples were collected at a measuring-control point was situated at 67.9 km on the river at the surface water intake for the water supply to the Rzeszów city dwellers. Analysis of the research results allows for the forecasting of technological and organizational changes in the treatment processes of the abstracted water. It was found that only the mean concentration of Kjeldahl nitrogen exceeded the value admissible for class I, which allowed the Wisłok River water to be classified as class II with good potential and determined the water quality category as A2, which indicates the necessity for typical performance physical and chemical treatment. Downward trends in the contents of the tested nutrients occurred during the period of investigation, except for nitrite nitrogen. Statistically significant downward trends were registered for ammonium nitrogen, Kjeldahl nitrogen, total nitrogen and phosphates. The decline in nutrient concentrations in the water of Wisłok is a tangible result of the introduction of new standards of water resource management in the catchment, compliant with the European Union legislation.
The formation of many sources of pollution in a short period of time is due to mountain soil erosion by water. One of the major mechanisms decisive in the intensification of such erosion is the loosening of soil material on the slope. Water quality studies show the impact of diversified spatial management and allow making the right decisions in environmental management in mountain areas with high variability of use and land cover. The research undertaken as part of the paper was carried out in order to determine the dependency between total suspended solids (TSS) and the physicochemical parameters of surface waters and the amount of soil losses in the use structure within the mountain catchment. The paper focused on the frequency of phenomena in time and the possibility of stopping the surface runoff on the slope and on the soil’s susceptibility to water erosion. The dependencies between multipoint sampling and the concentration of material washed off the slope due to precipitation were verified with a multivariate analysis. Sampling took place in hydrometric sections, and during small floods, in the waterbed cross section. Research shows that such sampling is the basis for the calculation of the transported load, reflecting the average variation in concentration. The variation in the volume of the load from the individual parts of the catchment was assessed by the spatial autoregressive model. It was found that the use of river basin areas affects water chemistry. Water reservoirs are an important ecological barrier for the migration of nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3) and phosphate phosphorus (P-PO4), which is marked by changes in the growing season. Water along the sections of the river near the quarry with a high degree of sodding showed good quality condition. Despite significant differences between measurement sampling sites, high total dissolved solid (TDS) values were found in communities adjacent to forests and meadows. However, the highest electrical conductivity (EC) and TSS concentrations were found in the interface with cultivated areas. Biogenic indices showed variation depending on the way the adjacent areas were used. GIS linked spatial variables with the formation of water pollution. The analysis of spatial autoregression pointed to the impact of arable land. Moreover, the analysis of spatial autoregression with the MESS function designated a connection between agricultural land use and nitrite nitrogen (N-NO2), EC, TSS, and dissolved oxygen (DO). Graphical abstractᅟ Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10661-018-7137-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The results of investigations on shaping the soil moisture ratio in the mountain basin of the Mątny stream located in the Gorce region, Poland, are presented. A soil moisture ratio was defined as a ratio of soil moisture in a given point in a basin to the one located in a base point located on a watershed. Investigations were carried out, using a TDR device, for 379 measuring points located in an irregular network, in the 0–25 cm soil layer. Values of the soil moisture ratio fluctuated between 0.75 and 1.85. Based on measurements, an artificial neural network (ANN) model of the MLP type was constructed, with nine neurons in the input layer, four neurons in the hidden layer and one neuron in the output layer. Input parameters influencing the soil moisture ratio were chosen based on physiographic parameters: altitude, flow direction, height a.s.l., clay content, land use, exposition, slope shape, soil hydrologic group and place on a slope. The ANN model was generated in the module data mining in the program Statistica 12. Physiographic parameters were generated using a database, digital elevation model and the program ArcGIS. The value of the network learning parameter obtained, 0.722, was satisfactory. Comparison of experimental data with values obtained using the ANN model showed a good fit; the determination coefficient was 0.581. The ANN model showed a minimal tendency to overestimate values. Global network sensitivity analysis showed that the highest influence on the wetness coefficient were provided by the parameters place on slope, exposition, and land use, while the parameters with the lowest influence were slope, clay fraction and hydrological group. The chosen physiographic parameters explained the values of the relative wetness ratio a satisfactory degree.
Studies on water quality are necessary, as catchments of small watercourses are exposed to anthropogenic influences associated with agricultural activities, settlement, transport and other undertakings, leading to water pollution. There has been insufficient research performed on the valley’s ability to retain nutrients during floods, contributing to water accumulation. The main object of the study was to identify the retention capacity of river valleys under various aspects of human urbanization. To represent soil water retention, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method was used. Spatiotemporal autoregressive models were exploited to investigate the relationship between pollutants in precipitation and surface water in rivers. In contrast, multivariate analysis was used to identify and reveal patterns of land use for specific chemical compounds in the headwaters. The canonical-correlation analysis (CCA) showed that Mg+2 and Ca+2 cations in rainwater and surface waters play the main roles in the geochemical cycle in urban and rural areas. In the urban catchment area, the strongest relations were found for NO3−, K+ and Na+. The average NO3− concentration in urban headwater was 8.3 mg·dm−3, the highest in the study area. The relationship between NO3− concentration in headwater and rainwater was found for all study catchments using spatial autoregression (SAR). High concentrations of SO42− in surface water have been identified in urban areas. Severe water erosion raises the risk of nutrient leaching in soils prone to surface runoff. As a consequence of low soil permeability and urbanization, retention capacity is significantly reduced in areas with low soil permeability. Land development plans should take spatial retention capacity into consideration. To ensure that large reservoirs can retain water in the face of climate change, riparian buffer zones (protective zones in valleys for small water bodies as well as Nature-based Solution) are important.
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