Anthropogenic Load on Water Bodies in the Upper Ob Basin in Different Water Content Periods: the Dynamics and the Forecast

Abstract

The paper considers the problem of pollution of water bodies by waste waters from large industrial and municipal enterprises. An overview of methodical approaches to estimation of anthropogenic load on water bodies leading to changes in their water quality is carried out. The level of anthropogenic load on water bodies of the Upper Ob basin was estimated using such indicators as waste water dilution ratio and the pollutant load based on its conditional mass (reduced to MAC). The calculation was carried out for periods of different water content: average and low water content, as well as summer-autumn and winter low-water periods. It was revealed that the highest wastewater dilution ratio (over 1000 times) is characteristic of mountainous rivers of the Republic of Altai, Altai Kray and the north of Tomsk oblast. Rivers of industrially loaded regions show the lowest dilution ratio. These are the Chulym (Krasny Zavod gauging station), Inya, Tom (Novokuznetsk), Kondoma, as well as Aley and Kasmala rivers distinguished by insignificant flow volume. The assessment of the conditional pollutant load for the Tom river basin has shown that small and very small rivers, where wastewater is often discharged without treatment, are the most susceptible to pollution. It is found that during the summer-autumn and winter low water periods the anthropogenic load on water bodies increases tenfold. The forecast of anthropogenic load dynamics, made on the basis of materials of strategic documents of the socio-economic development of the regions up to 2035, showed a reduction in the dilution ratio of wastewater against a significant increase in the volume of water used, primarily for the needs of industry and, accordingly, the generated wastewater. The solution to this situation may be the abandonment of the current technologies of water resources use in favor of applying the best available technologies in this industry.