The effect of anthropogenic pressure shown by microbiological and chemical water quality indicators on the main rivers of Podhale, southern Poland

Abstract

This study was aimed to determine the spatial variation in anthropogenic pressure exerted on surface water in the Podhale region (southern Poland), which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Poland. The assessment was based on the dynamics and relationships between microbiological and chemical indicators of water quality throughout the major rivers of this region—Dunajec, Czarny Dunajec, Biały Dunajec, and Białka. Another aim was to assess the effect of land use on the quality of water in the studied rivers. The study was conducted over 1 year at 21 sampling sites distributed from the uppermost sections of rivers in the Tatra National Park through main tourist resorts until mouths of the considered rivers to the Czorsztyńskie Lake. Microbiological analysis comprised the prevalence of total and fecal types of coliforms and Escherichia coli, mesophilic, and psychrophilic bacteria. Chemical assays determined the concentrations of Na+, K+, NH4 +, Cl−, NO3 −, and PO4 3−. Temperature, electrical conductivity, and pH were measured onsite. It was demonstrated that there is a significant relationship between the predominant types of land use within individual catchments, which results in evident differences in the pollution of waters between the catchments. The results showed that increased share of built-up areas and arable land results in significant deterioration of water quality. Thus, waters of Czarny Dunajec were the cleanest, while Biały Dunajec was the most heavily contaminated. Also, spatial diversity in water quality was shown—the cleanest waters were sampled in the Tatra National Park and the pollution increased with the course of rivers. Point sources of pollution such as effluents from treatment plants or discharge of untreated sewage from households proved to be more important than non-point sources, such as surface runoff. Moreover, the important role of the Czorsztyńskie Lake in the purification of water was demonstrated.

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“…However, in terms of microbiological indicators, these changes are not significant, unlike physicochemical characteristics. Increasing values of microorganisms and physicochemical parameters along the course of the river is a common observation (Sinclair et al 2009;Lenart-Boroń et al 2017b), but in terms of bacterial indicators, these changes are not always statistically significant (Stocker et al 2016). Such increase in the concentration of pollutants results from the fact that fecal contamination in rivers has a downstream cumulative effect (Ponce-Terashima et al 2014).…”

“…In most cases, the quality of water in catchments is subject to both temporal and spatial changes and-depending on the specificity of the catchment or region-these changes are the result of various combinations of natural and/or anthropogenic factors (Lenart-Boroń et al 2016a, 2017bOuattara et al 2011;Huang et al 2014). Natural factors include geological structure, seasonal differences in runoff volumes, weather conditions, water levels and flows, land cover, and the growing cycle (Bartram and Ballance 1996).…”

The effect of anthropogenic and natural factors on the prevalence of physicochemical parameters of water and bacterial water quality indicators along the river Białka, southern Poland

“…One of the most important problems of water management in Poland is not the lack of water in general, but the lack of water in the right place and of adequate quality. Water quality is among the most important factors affecting health and safety of its users and the suitability for its utilization in various aspects (Lenart-Boroń et al 2017b ). The insufficient quality results from an increasing pollution of surface water, mostly in rivers, resulting from discharge of municipal and industrial sewage and surface runoff carrying large amounts of fertilizers from agricultural fields (Pawełek 2015 ).…”

Levels of Heavy Metals in Several Rivers of the Western Bug and Dniester Basins in the Lviv Region (Western Ukraine)

“…Anthropogenic load leads to a significant decline in freshwater quality, which has been documented for many countries, including Ukraine (Burgess et al, 2009;Lenart-Boroń et al, 2017;Vystavna et al, 2018). The environmental consequences of deteriorating water quality such as eutrophication and the degradation of sensitive aquatic ecosystems are particularly relevant for small rivers, which are important components of regional landscapes.…”