Czorsztyn Reservoir Research Articles

The influence of water level hydrodynamics on potential changes in the morphology of a mountain reservoir shore zone

This study evaluates the influence of water level fluctuations in a mountain reservoir on potential changes in the morphology of its shore zone. The analysis was carried out in the Czorsztyn reservoir on the upper Dunajec river (located in the upper Vistula Basin within the Polish Carpathians). The spatio-temporal distribution of water levels in the Czorsztyn reservoir was analysed using Fourier spectral analysis, Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN), and predictive models. The results indicate that the actual range of water levels in a mountain dam reservoir that can have an impact on the morphology of the shore zone is much narrower than its theoretical range. Over the multi-year distribution of daily water levels in the reservoir, four quasiperiodic, overlapping cycles were identified (0.5-year, 1-year, 1.9-year, and 3.8-year cycles); these cycles are expected to have the greatest impact on the intensity of changes to the morphology of the reservoir’s shore zone. Predictions of water levels in the reservoir were carried out using STLForecaster, TBATS, ThetaForecaster, ExponentialSmoothing, and EnsembleForecaster models. The forecasting results suggest that the reservoir will be subjected to slight but statistically significant changes in its water levels in the following years. Furthermore, the frequency of high water levels close to normal water levels is expected to increase, that may consequently lead to morphological changes of the shore zone and instability of the reservoir slopes. The results of the study can be useful in predicting the effects of environmental changes within dam reservoirs as important elements of infrastructure for effective water resources management.

Human Health Risk Assessment of Air Pollution in the Regions of Unsustainable Heating Sources. Case Study—The Tourist Areas of Southern Poland

Air pollution is one of the main factors affecting human health. Air quality is especially important in the tourist areas developed with facilities for outdoor activities. During the winter season of 2017/2018, the concentrations of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), CO, O3, and NO2 were studied in 12 attractive tourist villages in the surroundings of the Czorsztyn Reservoir in southern Poland. Air pollutant measurements were performed continuously, using a single ground-based Alphasense air sensor. Our assessment of human health risk (HHRA), arising from inhalation exposure to air contaminants, was calculated for both local inhabitants and tourists, based on actual measured values. It was found that pollutant concentrations exceeded both permissible and recommended levels of PM10 and PM2.5. The mean total noncarcinogenic risk values were equal to 9.58 (unitless) for adults and 9.68 (unitless) for children and infants, under the resident exposure scenario. However, under the tourist exposure scenario, the mean total risk was equal to 1.63 (unitless) for adults and 1.64 (unitless) for children and infants. The risk to tourists was lower than that to inhabitants due to shorter exposure times. The target non-carcinogenic value of 1, calculated for PM10, PM2.5, and NO2, was significantly exceeded in total risk, under the residential exposure scenario, in reference to all the local subpopulations. In the majority of the investigated locations, the total risk exceeded the value of 1, under the tourist scenario, for all the subpopulations analysed. PM2.5 was recognised to be the most important contaminant in our risk analysis, in view of its share in the total risk value.

Changes in the hydrodynamics of a mountain river induced by dam reservoir backwater

Upstream from a dam reservoir, river hydrodynamics may be directly changed by temporary inundation driven by the reservoir. This triggers morphological river changes which may additionally modify the initial hydrodynamics, even at the time when backwater inundation does not occur (indirect effects of backwater). We verified these hypotheses, applying two-dimensional hydraulic modelling of flood flows to a section of the mountainous Dunajec River upstream from the Czorsztyn Reservoir. The modelling was performed for small, medium and large floods, and hydraulic conditions were compared between the scenarios with lacking and maximum backwater inundation and between the river reaches subjected to backwater inundation and unaffected by backwater fluctuations. Direct effects of reservoir level fluctuations were limited to the reach subjected to backwater inundation during floods and comprised: significantly increased water depth and decreased flow velocity and bed shear stress in the channel and on the floodplain, as well as a re-established hydrological connectivity between the channel and floodplain during small and medium floods. Indirect effects of backwater inundation reflected channel widening and bed aggradation that triggered a positive feedback with changes in hydrodynamics, mostly by reducing the velocity of flood flows in the channel zone. These latter changes occurred on a longer distance upstream from the reservoir than the backwater reach itself, and they modified the river hydrodynamics even when backwater inundation did not occur. We propose a conceptual model which indicates that changes of mountain rivers upstream from dam reservoirs are driven by modified hydrodynamics and lead to different morphological adjustments than those induced by waters underloaded with sediment downstream from dams. Changes in hydrodynamics and the associated morphological and sedimentary adjustments of mountain rivers recorded upstream from dam reservoirs may locally mitigate impacts of channelization and channel incision on riverine and riparian ecosystems of these rivers.

Factors affecting bluff development around a mountain reservoir: a case study in the Polish Carpathians

ABSTRACTEvolution of the bluffs within the shore zone of a reservoir is dependent on many environmental factors. In this study, a characterization of bluffs was presented with reference to the entire shore zone of a mountain reservoir. The research was conducted on the Czorsztyn reservoir – one of the largest functioning reservoirs within the Polish Carpathians (created in 1997). The analysis was based on a study conducted in 2015 and 2016 with the use of a Terrestrial Scanning Laser (TLS) and Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), (data from 2013). The objectives are to identify the bluffs’ height on the mountain reservoir shoreline and assess the impact of various environmental factors (geological basement, slope exposure and gradient, bluff position in a different part of the reservoir, water level, wave height and the presence of landslides) on bluff development. Environmental factors were assessed using statistical methods, Beta factor and Principal Component Analysis. After 18 years of operation, bluffs on the reservoir covered 89% of the shoreline. The maximum height reaches about 10.00 m, and most often does not exceed 2.00 m. The most developed bluffs (height) are found in the south-western and western exposures of the shoreline. Amongst the analyzed factors affecting the bluff development on the Czorsztyn reservoir, the wave height, water level, the position of bluffs within the shoreline, slope gradient and exposure were identified as the dominant factors based on statistical analysis. Due to the fact that multiple factors are acting together, the distinction of the dominant factor affecting bluff development is difficult.

Analysis of the impact of construction of selected water reservoirs on the surrounding environment made on the basis of satellite data

The authors aimed at showing in the publication the impact of the construction of selected water reservoirs in Poland on the surrounding environment, basing on the satellite imagery. For this purpose, for four test objects, i.e. the Dobczyce Reservoir, the Klimkow Reservoir, the Czorsztyn Reservoir and the Domaniowski Reservoir analyzes were carried out concerning the changes in the structure of land use for the state before and after reservoir construction, and indicators such as NDWI, SAVI and TSAVI were calculated. In the case of the analysis of changes in the land use structure, the direction of these changes was determined first of all, and for SAVI and TSAVI indices, the percentage change in their value and the direction of these changes were calculated.

Factors influencing the accumulation of Pb in sediments of deep and shallow dam reservoirs

Abstract The study determines the differences in Pb accumulation in sediments of dam reservoirs with respect to locations of the old river beds and their depth (deep Czorsztyn Reservoir and shallow Goczałkowice Reservoir in southern Poland). Parameters (grain size, organic matter content and reservoir depth) that may influence the spatial distribution of Pb concentrations in the sediments were analyzed. Based on the hierarchical cluster analysis, sediment samples from the reservoirs were ranked with respect to particle size distribution. We found differences in the spatial distribution of grain size and organic matter in the studied reservoirs, caused mostly by the topography of these reservoirs. The spatial distribution of Pb concentrations in the sediments of the Czorsztyn Reservoir (range 4.8-35.8 μg g-1) and the Goczałkowice Reservoir (range 11.3-59.4 μg g-1), regardless of their average depth and their type (dimictic, polymictic), depends on the distribution of silty clay and clay fractions, organic matter and reservoir depth. Therefore, Pb spatial distribution was more regular in the Czorsztyn Reservoir than in the Goczałkowice Reservoir. Locations of the old river beds had a significant impact on the Pb distribution in the sediments of both reservoirs.

Spatial distribution of manganese and iron in sediments of the Czorsztyn Reservoir

Spatial distribution of manganese and iron in sediments of the Czorsztyn Reservoir

Spatial distribution of manganese and iron in sediments of the Czorsztyn Reservoir

Spatial distribution of manganese and iron in sediments of the Czorsztyn Reservoir

Differences in the reconstructions of the depositional environment of overbank sediments performed using the C/M diagram and cumulative curve analyses

In order to compare the results of the reconstructions of depositional environment of sediments performed using the C/M diagram (Passega, Byramjee 1969) and the cumulative curve analysis (Visher 1969), 49 samples of overbank sediment were collected in the valley of the Dunajec River. The samples were collected from the fill of an abandoned channel on the floodplain of the lower Dunajec (17 km from its mouth) and from the floodplain of the Dunajec in the backwater of the Czorsztyn Reservoir and analysed used the laser diffraction and sieve methods. A cumulative curve analysis of the samples located in the fields of dominant deposition from traction in the C/M diagram (Fields I, II, III, IX) showed that the dominant type of their transport prior to deposition was saltation and suspension (81%), while traction amounted to an average of 19%. In the fields of the C/M diagram corresponding to the deposition of graded suspension under the conditions of high (Field IV) and moderate turbulence (Field V), the dominant type of sediment transport before deposition was saltation, whose amounted to 78–86% (Field IV) and 50–76 % (Field V). In the fields of the C/M diagram indicating deposition from graded suspension transported in conditions of low turbulence (VI) and uniform suspension of varied grain size (VII), the dominant type of transport prior to deposition was suspension, amounting to 35–94%. Sediments located in the field of the C/M diagram corresponding to the finest uniform suspension and pelagic suspension (Field VIII) were in 91–95% transported in suspension prior to deposition.

Development of sediment slug upstream from the Czorsztyn Reservoir (southern Poland) and its interaction with river morphology

The effects of base-level rising upstream of dam reservoirs on in-channel sedimentation and interaction of the stored sediments with the gravel-bed channel morphology have received little attention so far. Previous studies, however, suggested that the feedback mechanism between in-channel sedimentation and bank erosion may affect channel morphology. Here, the pattern of the bar area, bank erosion, and morphology of the gravel-bed Dunajec River upstream from the Czorsztyn Reservoir (CR), constructed in 1997 in southern Poland were analyzed from aerial images (1982–2012) and LiDAR data (2013). In the part of the post-dam period with a large flood, the average bar area increased significantly in the backwater section, and at some distance upstream, and then extended in the upstream direction at an average rate of above 40m/y, reaching 2.2km upstream from the CR in 2012. The bar area variation was 40% and 77% explained by local bank erosion in the periods of large and low to moderate floods, respectively. The sum of bank erosion from the post-dam period explained 80% of the variation in the present width/depth ratio, significantly increased in the backwater section. The results showed that the large floods in 1997, in conjunction with backwater inundation, initiated intensive bank erosion and bar growth. Subsequently, in the period with low and moderate floods, the localized bar-bank interaction, connected with the flow divergence around the deposited bar, led to localized bank erosion and additional bar growth promoting bend development. These processes, propagating in the upstream direction, were facilitated by the existence of a large amount of easily remobilized sediment stored in the floodplain connected with the sedimentation zone from the end of the nineteenth century. Bend development was controlled by valley confinement causing downstream bend translation in the narrower valley-confined section and its extension in the wider unconfined section of past sediment storage. The results obtained from this site-specific location imply that the occurrence of similar past sediment storage zones of easily remobilized coarse sediments may favor intensive bank erosion and bar growth during large floods, and in the case of low transport competence backwater zones of gravel-bed rivers where the remobilized sediments cause localized bar growth; it may promote morphologically effective bar-bank interaction in the period with low and moderate floods.

Gravel-bed channel changes upstream of a reservoir: The case of the Dunajec River upstream of the Czorsztyn Reservoir, southern Poland

Despite a significant increase in the number of dam reservoirs in the world in the last century, the effects of these structures on the evolution of river channels above them are poorly understood. Constructed in 1997 in the Polish Carpathians, the Czorsztyn Reservoir (CR) has raised the base level of the single-thread, gravel-bed Dunajec River. An analysis of five sets of aerial photographs and orthophotos from the period before (1977, 1982, 1994) and after (2003, 2009) the construction of the CR allowed me to investigate the temporal and spatial impact of the raised base level of the river upstream of the reservoir on the evolution of the river channel. Comparison of channel width changes in the backwater river section with changes observed in the control section unaffected by the presence of the reservoir has shown that in the pre-dam period differences in the evolution of the river channel in the backwater section and in the control section were not statistically different. In the periods without major floods, both channel sections were dominated by channel narrowing or a relative stability of channel width. In the post-dam period, a major flood in 1997 caused more than two times greater channel widening in the backwater section than in the control section. The extent of channel widening in the longitudinal channel profile reached farther upstream of the reservoir than the extent of the backwater itself. In the later part of the post-dam period without major floods, channel narrowing were similar in the backwater section and the control section, as had been the case in the period before the reservoir construction. The comparison of changes in the width of the channel in the backwater and control sections indicates that channel widening in the backwater, interpreted as an early stage of backwater channel adjustment, was reinforced by the flood of 1997. This study shows that the use of a control section makes it possible to isolate reservoir effects from flood effects in the context of channel dynamics.

A comparison between the water quality of the main tributaries to three submontane dam reservoirs and the sediment quality in those reservoirs

Abstract Nutrients, pH, and organic matter were determined in water samples collected from the Raba River above Dobczyce Reservoir (meso-eutrophic), from the Dunajec River above Czorsztyn Reservoir (mesotrophic), and Rożnów Reservoir (eutrophic), and in the bottom sediments of the reservoirs. The river waters were alkaline (pH 7.2-9.2). In the Raba River and Dunajec River, the ranges of nutrients and organic matter contents were similar (without significant differences) (in mg dm-3; N-NO3 0.5-2.5, N-NH4 0.2-2.0, N-NO2 0.004-0.040, N-tot 1.1-5.6, PO4 0.02-0.58, P-tot 0.03-1.9, while BOD5 1.6-9.9 mg dm-3 O2, COD 2.1-30.4 mg dm-3 O2). The pH of reservoir sediments was from neutral to slightly alkaline (6.9-7.6). The sediments were mineral and were characterized by a low amount of nutrients (N-tot 0.04-0.36%, P-tot 0.007-0.185%) and organic matter (expressed as LOI 3.0-10.6%, TOC 0.9-3.3%). Nutrient (except P-tot) and organic matter contents in the sediments of three reservoirs were similar (without significant differences) and did not reflect the trophic state of the reservoirs.

The consequences of water release from a dam reservoirfor freshwater mussel survival: recommendations for improved management.

Goląb M.J., Lipinska A.M., Cmiel A.M.: The consequences of water release from a dam reservoir for freshwater mussel survival: recommendations for improved management. ekologia (Bratislava), vol. 29, no. 4, p. 454–459, 2010. dam reservoirs may play an important role in threatened freshwater mussel conservation. However, the restoration works on a dam and their consequences can threaten whole mussel populations. This study investigates the consequences of water release in the Czorsztyn reservoir in order to improve management of dam reservoirs. The analysis shows that the reservoir’s water releases caused massive death of freshwater mussels. The main threat for mussel survival was probably flat slopes that disturbed both their ability to perceive slope gradient and the possibility to escape. in order to decrease the losses of freshwater mussel populations, it is necessary to remodel a part of the reservoir bowl’s shore and to create a refugium for the mussels. if terracing across the slopes is necessary, the steps should not be entirely plain, but tilted towards the water.

Effect of Contaminants on the Genome of Some Species of Genus Chironomus (Chironomidae, Diptera) Live in Sediments of Dunajec River and Czorsztyn Reservoir

The effect of contaminants on the genomes of Chironomus plumosus L. and Chironomus bernensis Wulker, Klotzli species was studied in the Dunajec River (station 1) and in the littoral of Czorsztyn Reservoir (stations 2 and 3). According to the index of geoaccumulation, the sediments were polluted by cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr). Cd concentrations at stations 1, 2, and 3 were 0.71, 0.56, and 1.27 μ gg �1 , while Cr concentrations were 841.5, 186.9, and 40.7 μ gg �1 , respectively. The pH of sediments ranged from 6.7 to 7.1. Genome instability of C. bernensis and C. plumosus L. was evaluated at the stations and was determined by structural and functional chromosome alterations. Living in sediment containing higher concentrations of Cr and elevated concentrations of Cd (station 1), C. bernensis was found to possess a high spectrum of somatic chromosome rearrangements with a somatic index of 0.92. C. plumosus collected from stations 2 and 3 was found to have somatic indices of 0.77 and 0.5, respectively. Both species mobilized their genome by changes in their functional activity: the appearance of novel puffs and the participation of chromosomes in an ectopic pairing (more common in C. bernensis than in C. plumosus). The observed chromosome alterations were interpreted as a response of the genome to stressful conditions in the environment. The study indicates that the salivary gland chromosomes of the observed species provide a sensitive system for the easy tracking of genome changes induced by stressful conditions.

Speciation and Environmental Fate of Chromium in Rivers Contaminated with Tannery Effluents

AbstractRedox and size speciation of chromium in rivers contaminated with tannery wastewater was carried out to provide insight into its transport and removal mechanisms. Total chromium was determined with Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry and Cr (VI) with Catalytic Adsorption Stripping Voltammetry. For the size speciation, particles were retained with a cartridge filter (cut‐off 1.2 μm) and the total filterable fraction was further fractionated with Tangential Flow Filtration to determine the concentrations of chromium associated with the High Molecular Weight Colloidal (HMWC), Low Molecular Weight Colloidal (LMWC) and Truly Dissolved (TD) fractions. Two fluvial systems of similar sizes, but located in contrasting climatic zones, were selected for comparison: the Sebou‐Fez system in Morocco and Dunajec River‐Czorsztyn Reservoir system in Poland. Particulate Cr dominated in the Sebou‐Fez system (about 90 %); while in the Dunajec‐Czorsztyn system, it represented only 17–53 % of the total chromium in raw water. Still, the partition coefficients [Kd] were of the same magnitude. Chromium (III) was the only form detected in Sebou‐Fez, whereas in Dunajec‐Czorsztyn Cr (VI) was also present with its proportion increasing downstream from the input of tannery wastewater due to the preferential removal of Cr (III). In the filtered water in Morocco a large fraction of Cr occurred in the HMWC fraction (50–70 %) at the two most contaminated sites, while the LMWC and TD forms prevailed at the non‐contaminated sites in the Sebou River. At a very high concentration, in the water in the proximity of tanneries (well above the theoretical saturation level) Cr precipitated as polynuclear Cr‐hydroxide. In Dunajec‐Czorsztyn, the partition of Cr (III) was approximately equal between the HMWC, LMWC and TD fractions, in contrast to Cr (VI) which occurred almost exclusively in the TD fraction. In both systems, Cr (III) was rapidly removed from the water to the sediments. The confluence of the Sebou with the Fez and the Czorsztyn reservoir trapped efficiently Cr (III) preventing its spreading over long distances. Cr (VI) showed conservative behavior and bypassed the Czorsztyn Reservoir. This study provides a first set of data on the partitioning of Cr (III) and Cr (VI) between the particulate, the colloidal and truly dissolved fractions in fluvial systems contaminated with tannery effluents. It also suggests that, in these systems, truly dissolved Cr (III) can be adequately modeled from the total filterable concentrations.

Partitioning of chromium (VI) and chromium (III) between dissolved and colloidal forms in a stream and reservoir contaminated with tannery waste water

Environmental fate of chromium rejected from tannery wastewater to the Dunajec River (southern Poland) was investigated using separation with tangential flow filtration followed by measurements with Cathodic Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry (CAdSV) and ICP-MS. Virtually all Cr(VI) was found in the dissolved fraction (<1 kDa). This form was present at low concentrations. Cr(III) was rapidly transferred from dissolved and low molecular weight colloidal fractions to particles and high molecular weight colloids and thus scavenged from the water column of the Czorsztyn Reservoir to the sediments. The possibility of Cr remobilization via oxidation of Cr(III) in the presence of freshly precipitated Mn-oxides in water or at the water-sediment interface needs further investigation.

SBR Technology Used for Advanced Combined Municipal and Tannery Wastewater Treatment with High Receiving Water Standards

The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Nowy Targ, Poland, is the largest in Europe based on classical sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology. The plant was completed in April 1995 as one of the essential elements in a program for the protection of the water quality in the Czorsztyn Reservoir. The process technology was designed for application to a typical municipal wastewater with a separate unit to treat tannery wastewater containing chromium. Experience from plant operation showed that the municipal wastewater inflow to the WWTP included tannery wastewater with increasing chromium concentrations, caused by poor wastewater management in the city. The average value in the influent was around 3 mg Cr/l (1996-1997) and showed an increasing trend. Investigations were focused on identification of the factors affecting the process performance. In this paper, evaluation of the treatment efficiency and process performance during 2 years of plant operation is presented, including studies of nitrification, denitrification and biological phosphorus removal. A cycle analysis was performed to investigate the reduction of different parameters during different phases of a cycle. Results of a sludge activity study based on OUR, AUR and NUR tests are presented and discussed.

SBR technology used for advanced combined municipal and tannery wastewater treatment with high receiving water standards

The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Nowy Targ, Poland, is the largest in Europe based on classical sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology. The plant was completed in April 1995 as one of the essential elements in a program for the protection of the water quality in the Czorsztyn Reservoir. The process technology was designed for application to a typical municipal wastewater with a separate unit to treat tannery wastewater containing chromium. Experience from plant operation showed that the municipal wastewater inflow to the WWTP included tannery wastewater with increasing chromium concentrations, caused by poor wastewater management in the city. The average value in the influent was around 3 mg Cr/1 (1996–1997) and showed an increasing trend. Investigations were focused on identification of the factors affecting the process performance. In this paper, evaluation of the treatment efficiency and process performance during 2 years of plant operation is presented, including studies of nitrification, denitrification and biological phosphorus removal. A cycle analysis was performed to investigate the reduction of different parameters during different phases of a cycle. Results of a sludge activity study based on OUR, AUR and NUR tests are presented and discussed.