ASSESSMENT OF NITRATE POLLUTION IN FIZES WATERSHED

Abstract

River streams together with the adjacent riparian zones constitute essential multifunctional elements of the ecological network worldwide. Water Framework Directive demands a concerted approach towards the goal of achieving a good ecological state for all water bodies across Europe. Nitrate pollution is an issue that all Member States confront. It can be asserted that the sources of nitrate pollution are diffusing (multiple such discharges which are difficult to locate), while the main polluters (farms) are sensitive to everything that affects their economic viability. Fizes watershed, tributary of Somes catchment is located in the northern part of Romania and covers a surface of approximately 562 km2, with an average altitude of approximately 400 m. Nitrate concentration, together with other species of mobile nitrogen were measured in surface water along the Fizes watershed. The main pollution sources are represented by sediments generated by erosional processes and transported in the water bodies, and diffuse pollution sources originated from agricultural activities and the improper septic systems of the localities Through its features of relatively low antropic pressures and with little structural changes, Fizes watershed represents a natural laboratory for designing and implementing programs of restorations of watersheds in agricultural landscapes.