Natural phytomelioration of the coastal water zone of man-made reservoirs in mining areas

Abstract

Coal mine waste heaps are technogenic hazards that have been polluting the air, surface and groundwater, soil for years. At the UN Climate Conference COP26, held in November 2021 in Glasgow (Scotland), Ukraine and developed countries committed to carbon neutrality by 2060 and to abandoning fossil fuels by 2035. One of the largest technogenic factors in waste heaps is subterranean wastewater. Wastewater accumulates in the man-made reservoirs at the foot of the coal mine waste heaps. In our case, one of the most effective means of improving coal mining regions’ environmental quality is phytomelioration, particularly coastal and water reclamation. The article presents the results of research within the Lviv-Volyn coal basin (Ukraine). During the study of natural phytomelioration processes in the coastal zone of man-made reservoirs, it was found that vegetation develops within four zones: I – underwater vegetation that is permanently covered by water (22% of the total number of species); II – vegetation of fluctuating water levels (32%); III – vegetation of the coastal zone (14%); IV – vegetation above the coastal zone (32%). The species composition includes 37 species belonging to 20 families. By family composition, the largest share of the species composition belongs to representatives of Asteraceae (15%), Poaceae (11%), Potamogetonaceae (8%). The study of the species composition and family spectrum of coastal and aquatic phytomelioration processes is important in implementing environmental protection and ecological measures to improve the quality of the environment of technogenically affected coal mining areas.