Erosion control works and the intensity of soil erosion in the upper part of the river Toplica drainage basin

Abstract

Aiming at the protection of the future storage »Selova« against erosion and sediment, and also to protect the settlements and roads in the drainage basin against torrential floods, erosion control works in the upper part of the river Toplica basin, upstream of the storage »Selova«, started in 1947. The works included buildingtechnical works (check dams) and biological works (afforestation and grassing of bare lands and other erosion risk areas). During the period 1947 -2006, the following erosion control works were performed: afforestation of bare lands on the slopes 2,257.00 ha, grassing of bare lands 1,520.00 ha, and altogether 54 dams were constructed in the river Toplica tributaries. This caused the decrease of sediment transport in the main flow of the river Toplica. This paper, based on the field research in two time periods: 1988 and in the period 2004-2007, presents the state of erosion in the basin before erosion control works; type and scope of erosion control works and their effect on the intensity of erosion in the river Toplica basin upstream of the future storage »Selova«.

Effects of Erosion Control Works: Case Study–Reservoir Celije, Rasina River Basin, the Zapadna Morava River (Serbia)

“…Chemical substances of natural origin, resulting from the decay of rocks, are transported into the hydrographic network through sediment erosion. On the other hand, anthropogenic chemical pollution occurs due to the runoff of artificial fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural areas into river basins [8]. Due to erosion processes, many reservoirs in Serbia have been rapidly silted up with sediment and practically converted into sediment reservoirs.…”

“…Due to erosion processes, many reservoirs in Serbia have been rapidly silted up with sediment and practically converted into sediment reservoirs. A typical example is the Zvornik reservoir on the Drina River, as well as reservoirs on the Zapadna Morava River, and so on [9].…”

Effects of Erosion Control Works: Case Study—Grdelica Gorge, the South Morava River (Serbia)

“…A large number of previous studies show that intensive rainfalls [5][6][7][8][9][10], topography [11][12][13][14][15][16], vegetation type [17][18][19][20], land use [21][22][23][24][25], and land management [26][27][28][29][30][31] are the main factors that determinate the rates of soil erosion. The studies of natural conditions in the South Morava River Basin (Grdelica Gorge) uniformly show that this area is predisposed to intensive soil erosion [2,32].…”

“…The first erosion control works in Serbia started in Grdelica Gorge before the end of the 19th century, with the organized erosion control works being performed at the beginning of the 20th century and large-scale erosion control works (ECW) after the Second World War. By the end of the 1980s, numerous erosion control works had been performed in Serbia including the South Morava River Basin, which resulted in evident reduction of soil erosion intensity and stabilization of the flow regime in the river basins [9,17,27,28,35]. In this research, the performed ECW and their effects on the state of erosion were studied through a comparative analysis of the circumstances in 1953 and 2016 with the aim of upgrading the methods of soil erosion and torrential flood control.…”

Effects of erosion control works in the drainage basin of the Palojska River (Grdelica Gorge)

“…The first erosion control works in Serbia are related to those made at the beginning of the 20 th century in Grdelica Gorge. A total of 58 basins of Grdelica Gorge were protected against excessive erosion in the period between 1947 and 1977 (Kostadinov et al, 2008;. Since then, the scope of erosion control works in Serbia had been decreasing so that at the beginning of the 21 st century these works were reduced to the rehabilitation of existing structures.…”