The State of Water and Wastewater Management in the Municipalities of the Polesie National Park

Abstract

The aim of the work is to present the current state of water and wastewater management in the municipalities where the Polesie National Park (PNP) is located. The PNP is situated in Lublin Voivodeship, in the area of six municipalities: Sosnowica, Hańsk, Urszulin, Stary Brus, Wierzbica and Ludwin. The data used in this paper, were obtained on the basis of the surveys conducted in these municipalities in 2016 by the Department of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. In the analyzed communes, there was a very large disproportion between the usage of sewerage and the water supply network. It has been shown that 79.1% of the inhabitants living in the afore-mentioned communes used the water supply network and only 22.5% of them used sewerage. In the discussed communities there are 9 collective, mechanical and biological wastewater treatment plants with a capacity of over 5 m . On the farms located in the scattered areas, which are not connected to the sewerage, wastewater is discharged mainly to the septic tanks. In four out of the six analyzed municipalities, there were 2345 septic tanks registered. Domestic sewage from some farms is purified in household wastewater treatment plants (395 pieces). The plants with the drainage systems are prevalent (84.9%), which may contribute to the groundwater quality degradation. In order to protect the natural environment within the communes that form the PNP, it is necessary to undertake the actions that will contribute to the improvement of the current state of water and wastewater management. While solving the existing problems related to water supply and wastewater treatment, it is strongly required to adhere to the principle of sustainable development and use highly effective systems in order to ensure that the ecological effects are appropriate.

The Influence of Household Wastewater Treatment Plants with Drainage System on the Quality of Groundwater in the Lublin Province, Poland

“…The presented data indicate that the plants with drainage systems remain the most popular solution. The previously conducted questionnaire surveys showed that in the communes located in the Polesie and Roztocze National Parks, the plants with drainage systems constituted 85% and 93%, respectively, among the technological solutions employed in household wastewater treatment plants [Jóźwiakowski et al 2017;Jóźwiakowski et al 2018]. Similarly high (>80%) share of plants with drainage systems was also noted in the Parczew and Biała Podlaska counties, located in the Lublin province [Micek et al 2018;.…”

Technological reliability of pollutant removal in different seasons in one-stage constructed wetland system with horizontal flow operating in the moderate climate

“…Among the aforementioned solutions, the most frequently used technological system consists of the initial settling tank and drainage pipe [8][9][10], mainly due to the low construction costs [11]. However, the application of this solution is the reason of much controversy in Poland [6,[12][13][14].…”

Status of Water Supply and Sanitation Infrastructure in Opole County (Lubelskie Voivodeship, Poland)

“…However, despite considerable development, the size of the sewerage network in relation to the demand is still very small. In rural areas, especially those with a highly dispersed development pattern, the quantity and quality of sanitation infrastructure can be improved by constructing on-site domestic wastewater treatment plants (Bogusz et al 2020;Jóźwiakowski et al 2017;Micek et al 2018). In the years 2006-2015, the number of on-site treatment plants in Poland increased by 476%.…”

“…Meanwhile, under the current legal regulations regarding the construction of on-site domestic wastewater treatment plants, the principal criterion for selecting a wastewater treatment technology is the cost of purchase and assembly of a treatment installation. As a result, most of the the existing on-site domestic wastewater treatment plants in Poland are the cheapest type of treatment plant, i.e systems with a drainfield (Bogusz et al 2020;Jóźwiakowski et al 2017;Micek et al 2018). Many authors believe that systems with a soakaway drainfield area pose a serious threat to the quality of surface waters and groundwater, and should not be used as stand-alone wastewater treatment installations, but only as a treatment step, to discharge biologically treated wastewater into the ground (Walczowski 2013; Jóźwiakowski 2012; Bugajski et al…”