New type of ponds? Changing of quantity and function of water bodies in rural built-up areas (Pilsen Region, Czechia)

Abstract

This study is focused on the changing of areas of water bodies in selected villages of the Pilsen Region (Czechia). We researched several different types of rural settlements and three time horizons with the help of old maps, orthophoto maps and GIS tools. To capture the influence of their location within the urban system, we chose 15 places from four categories (inner suburban area, outside suburban area, rural area, periphery rural area) depending on their distance to the core of the Pilsen agglomeration. There is no significant change in the amount of water bodies between the first reference period (1838-1839) and the second period (1957-1963) in the selected settlements. However, the third period (2013-2015) is characterized by the emergence of a large number of small water bodies - swimming pools and garden ponds. Based on the results of our research we identified the declining importance of public water bodies in some of the settlements. However, we have identified a notable prevalence of garden ponds which have a more positive ecological impact than pools. The proportion of private water bodies (covered and uncovered pools and garden ponds) in the total area of water bodies in the rural settlements in most cases is less than 20%, in the suburban settlements up to 100%. Peripheral settlements have a below-average share of these water bodies. The difference between the number of pools in different settlements is related to the proportion of newly built houses there. Although there are relatively fewer pools in rural settlements, the difference compared to the situation in suburban settlements is not pronounced due to the change in lifestyle in rural areas and the change in functions of some villages to recreational areas. Influence of pools on water consumption is dependent on the individual exchange technology of water in swimming pools. Filling of the pool before the season can overload the capacity of the local water supply.

Small monsters: Insect predation limits reproduction of yellow‐bellied toad Bombina variegata to ponds in their earliest successional stage

“…A common conservation measure to counteract the impact of urbanization has been to construct small, artificial ponds (Beebee, 1979; Stumpel & van der Voet, 1998; Knutson et al, 2004; Oertli, 2018), often at a significant scale; for example, the building of 4,000 such ponds in Denmark to halt amphibian decline (Fog, 1997). A new phenomenon is the construction of balancing ponds for stormwater storage (Brand & Snodgrass, 2010) and the construction of garden ponds, a fashion that has quickly spread to eastern Europe (Davies et al, 2009; Kopp, Frajer & Novotná, 2017). Anuran communities can be affected by the design, location and management of all these novel habitats (DiMauro & Hunter, 2002; McCarthy & Lathrop, 2011), which should therefore be based on exhaustive studies and well‐established standards, so that active conservation measures can be as effective as possible.…”

Relationships between Insufficient Drinking Water Supply and the Socio-Economic Development of Small Municipalities: Mayors’ Opinions from the Czech Republic

“…The economic level of inhabitants also corresponds to waste or effective use of water [68][69][70]. In households with their own gardens, the consumption of water for watering or filling pools can be an important part of the balance [71][72][73][74]. Therefore, a certain portion of households makes use of water drawn from wells as a complementary source of water for watering gardens or lawns [75], which can affect the local level of the availability of ground water periods of drought.…”