Water Quality Formation Research Articles

The influence of landscape structure on the quality index of surface waters

AbstractThe article focuses on the problem of structure degradation and ecosystem functioning – the urgency that identifies the relevance of operations at a strategic level aimed at providing the integrated assessment of ecological stability of water. Determination of water quality indicators were divided into blocks according to the criteria of salt composition, according to chemical saprobological indicators and the content of specific substances of toxic and radiation action. According to the results of block analysis, the integrated ecological index of water quality was determined by the dependence of water quality on the indicators of ecological stabilization of the landscape and the structure of biotechnical elements. The article determines the relationships between worsening quality of surface waters and stabilization or destabilization of the landscape structure. The research was conducted on medium and large streamflows on the Right Bank of Polesie region of the Dnieper-River cascade within which the tracts of land were identified and the landscape ecological stability (CESL1) and landscape biotechnical elements coefficients (CESL2) were determined. The retrospective analysis was performed of the surface water features on the Right Bank of Polesie region of the Dnieper-River cascade and the main trends in salt block indicators, trophic and saprobiological block indicators, and in the content of toxic and radioactive substances at observation sites were estimated. Based on obtained data, the integrated assessment in trends of surface water quality on the Right Bank of Polesie region of the Dnieper-River cascade was made and the main parameters and scale of stabilization and destabilization of landscape impact on the water quality formation were defined.

ПРОГНОЗУВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВОДИ В РІЧКАХ ДУНАЙ ТА СІВЕРСЬКИЙ ДОНЕЦЬ ЗА ДОПОМОГОЮ ГЕОІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ

For forecasting of the change of water quality in water object the geographic information system (GIS) of the ecological monitoring had been designed. The geographic information system was applied to analyze the water quality of the Danube and Seversky Donets. With the help of GIS, the main trends of changes in water quality indicators of the Danube Delta were identified. In the Danube River, for the most part, there was a tendency for improvement of water quality during the study period, the tendency for deterioration of water quality was determined only by the indicator of manganese. The tendency for deterioration of water quality was observed in the Siverskyi Donets River by the following indicators: suspended matter and ammonia nitrogen. The main trends of changes in water quality indicators have also been identified in the lakes (Chaika, Lychevoe), which influence the formation of water quality of the Siverskyi Donets River. In Lake Chaika there is a tendency to deteriorate in quality: weighed substances; nitrogen nitrate, chlorides and iron. In this case, the values of some indicators in Lake Chaika (BOD-5 and total iron), in Lake Lichovo (COD, BOD-5, nitrite nitrogen) and in the Siverskyi Donets River (overlying districts, ammonium nitrogen) will be several times higher fishery maximum permissible concentration.

Assessing the potential effect of extreme weather on water quality and disinfection by-product formation using laboratory simulation

Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events (i.e., floods and droughts) combined with higher temperatures can threaten surface water quality and downstream drinking water production. This study characterized the effects of extreme weather events on dissolved organic matter (DOM) washout from watershed soils and the corresponding contribution to disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors under simulated weather conditions. A laboratory simulation was performed to assess the effects of temperature, drought, rainfall intensity, sea level rise, and acid deposition on the amount of DOM released from soil samples. DBP formation potentials (DBPFPs) were obtained to assess the effect of extreme weather events on DBP formation and drinking water quality. The results demonstrated that the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and carbonaceous DBP levels increased with increasing temperature in a dry (drought) scenario. Regardless of the watershed from which a soil sample was obtained and the incubation temperature during rewetting or chlorination processes, the DOC and carbonaceous DBP levels also increased with increasing temperature. Brominated DBP formation was increased when bromide was present during the rewetting of soil, indicating the effect of sea level rise. When bromide was present during the chlorination of water for DBPFP tests, only the level of brominated DBPs increased. Acid deposition had various effects under different weather conditions. The results of heavy rainfall simulations suggested that water quality deteriorates at the beginning of an extreme rainfall event. Abundant DOM was washed out of soil, leading to a peak in the DBPFP level. The level of DOM in seepage water was less than that of the surface runoff water during rainfall. The situation was more severe when the rainfall came after a long drought and the drought–rewetting cycle effect occurred.

The role of biotic and abiotic components of the aquatic ecosystem in the formation of ecological trouble of Tsimlyansk and Manych reservoirs

The relative importance of indicators of biotic and abiotic components of aquatic ecosystems of Tsimlyansky and Manych (Proletarian and Veselovsky) reservoirs is investigated in the process of formation of States of ecological trouble: “environmental stress, environmental emergency and ecological disaster”, which are provided by a number of existing normative- methodological documents. For this purpose, the shares of indicators as a percentage of their total number in the dynamics of negative changes in aquatic ecosystems were compared on the basis of long-term monitoring information of Roshydromet and data of own expeditionary studies in reservoirs on hydrobiological, toxicological and physico-chemical indicators. It is established that the role of the biotic component increases with the deterioration of the aquatic ecosystem of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, on the contrary, decreases in Manych. The role of the abiotic component is great and similar in all reservoirs; it increases already in a state of emergency environmental situation, but in an environmental disaster is somewhat reduced.
 It is concluded that the proposed new approach to the analysis of the role of biotic and abiotic components in the development of negative changes in the ecosystem opens up new opportunities in the study of the water quality formation and the state of water bodies.

A Nontoxic Battery with 3D-Printed Housing for On-Demand Operation of Microcontrollers in Microfluidic Sensors.

Microcontrollers have a low energy consumption and are convenient tools for the operation and readout of small lab-on-a-chip devices. The operation of microcontrollers for data collection and analysis is key for measurements and statistics in field experiments. However, for portable lab-on-a-chip or point-of-care systems in low-resource settings, the availability of energy sources is a bottleneck. Here, we present a simple, nontoxic aluminum/air redox battery with a 3D-printed housing for on-demand operation of a sensor using a microcontroller for data collection. The battery is stored in a dry state and can be manufactured conveniently using off-the-shelf components and a simple 3D printer. It can be quickly assembled and operates a microcontroller for at least one hour in continuous operation mode. We demonstrate its performance by collecting data from a capacitive sensor capable of determining the conductivity of liquid samples. Such sensors can be used for, e.g., determining the water quality or phase formation in liquid mixtures. The sensor performance in determining different conductivities of nonconductive and conductive liquids in droplets is demonstrated.

Comparative Analysis of Different Disinfection Techniques Performances in Drinking Water Treatment Plant Using a Process Simulation Software Hayder Mohammed Issa

The performance of chlorination disinfection in drinking water treatment is facing challenges with the potentiality to produce disinfection by-products. Seeking safer drinking water quality is related to increasing demands by consumers who are looking for better assurances about the quality of the water they drink. In this study, a water treatment process simulator of WatPro 4.0 was used under certain influent conditions to evaluate possibilities for alternating an existing chlorination disinfection process in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP-Efraz 2) in March 2014 at Erbil, North Iraq. The evaluation was made in terms of effluent water quality and disinfection by-products formation potentials. The studied disinfection processes are; chlorination, ozonation, and ultraviolet. In the chlorination process simulation, the predicted effluent water quality was verified by the analysis and testing results of the effluent treated water goes out from the plant (Efraz-2). Results showed that each of the studied disinfection processes has its own environmental and limitation pros and cons. Ultraviolet disinfection process meets the required standards of the lowest potential of disinfection by-products. Ozonation included a lower risk than chlorination in the formation of disinfection by-products from the dissolved organic matter. The other parameters of water quality showed close characteristics for all the three disinfection processes. The results obtained in this work gives further insight into the performance of water treatment plant design and encourage the application of water treatment simulators as tools for disinfection process development.

State of spring phytoplankton and quality of the Kenozero waters in 2018

Phytoplankton constitutes a key part of all aquatic ecosystems. It produces organic matter, thus forming the first level of food chains in water bodies. In addition, phytoplankton plays a major role in the water quality formation. The studies of algocoenosis always remain relevant, since the obtained data provides important information on the ecological status of water bodies. This information can subsequently be used for planning and implementing environmental measures, which are particularly significant for water bodies located in specially protected areas. National parks existing for the purposes of nature preservation, education and research are also designed for tourism, which makes their ecosystems more vulnerable. Population residing in such territories and its economic activity may also carry some environmental risks, which necessitates regular complex observations. This paper covers the state of spring phytoplankton community of Lake Kenozero in 2018, its qualitative and quantitative characteristics (species composition, abundance and biomass). In the course of research, we identified 70 phytoplankton taxa belonging to seven divisions: Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, Chrysophyta, Xanthophyta and Euglenophyta. The dominant species complex included diatoms (Asterionellaformosa, Melosiragranulata, Tabellariafenestrata), representatives of Dinophyta (Gymnodinium sp.), as well as small euglenoids. Species diversity was estimated using the Shannon-Weaver index. Aquatic environment contamination was assessed, i.e. the saprobity index was calculated and the class of surface water quality was determined. According to the water quality classification of water bodies and watercourses by hydrobiological indicators, Lake Kenozero was assigned the second class of water quality (moderately polluted).

THE MODERN STATUS OF THE VELIKAYA RIVER DELTA ON THE STATE OF PRIMARY PRODUCERS

Primary producers are an integral part of freshwater ecosystems. Phytoplankton forms the basis of the trophic pyramid, participates in the formation of water quality and acts as a sensitive indicator of the state of the reservoir. The ability of macrophytes to accumulate mineral and organic substances makes them active participants in the self-purification of natural waters. Higher aquatic plants are characterized by conservatism to short-term changes in the environment, but changes in vegetation over the years may indicate anthropogenic transformation of ecosystems. The contribution to maintaining the stability of the functioning and biodiversity of the ecosystem makes phytoplankton and macrophytes compulsory research objects aimed at studying the state of water bodies. The aim of the work was the study of primary producers as bioindicators of the ecological status of the Velikaya river delta in the summer of 2018. As a result, 127 phytoplankton taxa from 8 phylums were found: Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cyanobacteria, Euglenophyta, Chrysophyta, Dinophyta, Cryptophyta, Charophyta. The species richness was dominated by the Chlorophyta (42.5%), Bacillariophyta (25.2%), Cyanobacteria (11.1%). According to the ecological and geographical analysis of the delta algaflora, cosmopolitan, freshwater, planktonic forms of microalgae dominate, preferring neutral and weakly alkaline waters. Water quality assessment revealed the beta-mesosaprobic nature of the waters, which indicates moderate pollution of the water area. In the composition of macrophytes, 43 species from 3 phylums were identified: Magnoliophyta, Equisetophyta, Chlorophyta. By species composition, angiosperms dominated (95.3%), of which 46.3% were dicotyledons and 53.7% - monocotyledons. Hygrophytes (34.9%) and hydrophytes (32.6%) prevailed in terms of ecological structure. The leading role in the overgrowing of the delta belonged to high-grass helophytes and rooting hydrophytes with leaves floating on the water. A total of 37 saprobiont flora were found. The total index of saprobity was 277 points.

Mining industry impacts on surface water quality in south part of Armenia

This paper deals with the quality of water of one of the tributaries of the river Araks-River Voghchi and its watershed basin. This article covers an investigation of common ions (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, K, SO4, HCO3) and HMs (Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ag, Hg, As) in waters of the River Voghchi and its tributaries. The performed river water research was underpinned by monthly monitoring data for 2003-2011. The impact of pollution sources and water quality formation factors were indicated. Assessment of the river water pollution with common ions and HMs were carried out, and dominating elements were indicated. The paper is highlight pollution level of the river water for the period of unstable economy and period of their stabilisation, giving the comparative analysis of river water pollution.

Mining industry impacts on surface water quality in south part of Armenia

This paper deals with the quality of water of one of the tributaries of the river Araks-River Voghchi and its watershed basin. This article covers an investigation of common ions (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, K, SO4, HCO3) and HMs (Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ag, Hg, As) in waters of the River Voghchi and its tributaries. The performed river water research was underpinned by monthly monitoring data for 2003-2011. The impact of pollution sources and water quality formation factors were indicated. Assessment of the river water pollution with common ions and HMs were carried out, and dominating elements were indicated. The paper is highlight pollution level of the river water for the period of unstable economy and period of their stabilisation, giving the comparative analysis of river water pollution.

Проблемы целеполагания при государственном планировании водоохранных мероприятий в речных бассейнах

The paper presents detailed analysis of the norm/methodical and guiding documents currently in force that support choice of goals and priorities in public planning water/protective activities. The authors have assessed advantages and disadvantages of the «Regulations on development, setting and revision of the environment quality norms for chemical and physical indicators of the environment status», as well as relevant regulation acts in terms of setting water quality norms for surface water bodies with taking into account territorial differentiation of the water quality formation conditions. The authors presented some proposals for further development of the system of water quality normalization. In particular, we recommended: to abandon accounting of the water use types in setting norms of the surface water quality as a component of environment; to take into account the natural background at the expense of the state budget; and to use widely tested and approved mechanisms of water quality objectives as a methodical base for water quality normalizing. The scheme of coordinating the procedure of the comprehensive ecological permissions’ issue with the water quality objectives.

Dynamics of the Content of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Carbon in the Detrital Particles Suspended in Water Phase of Ecosystems: Consideration of Water Quality Formation and Exometabolism

The dynamics of the nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus contents in the detrital particles suspended in the water column was examined. The study was carried out in two freshwater reservoirs of different trophic levels. Detritus was collected in natural aquatic ecosystems at various depths. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon concentrations in the detrital particles were found to decrease significantly during the detritus sedimentation in the water column. This pattern was observed both for a mesotrophic reservoir and an eutrophic aquatic ecosystem. It was the phosphorus concentration that decreased especially rapidly during the sedimentation of the detrital particles in the water column. These findings were considered in the context of water quality formation. The new facts and their analysis advance our understanding of the most important functions of detritus in aquatic ecosystems; a new aspect of coupling of ecological and biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems was revealed. The results were analyzed using the innovative scientific term, exometabolism, which was proposed by S.A. Ostroumov in his monograph “Aquatic Organisms in Water Self- Purification” in 2008.

Pilot-scale comparison of cyclically and continuously operated drinking water biofilters: Evaluation of biomass, biological activity and treated water quality

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of cyclical (operated 8–12 h per day) and continuous biofilter operation with respect to biomass development, biological enzyme activity and treated water quality (in terms of organics, nutrients and disinfection by-product (DBP) formation potential). Continuously operated biofilters developed greater densities of biomass, as measured by ATP, when compared to cyclically operated filters; reducing the empty bed contact time (EBCT) increased biomass density under continuous flow conditions. However, once normalized to biomass, it was shown that cyclically operated filters exhibited higher enzyme activity, indicating that this method of operation may improve bacterial function. Reduction of organics was generally similar for both continuous and cyclical filters with the same EBCT, however, cyclical filters demonstrated higher variability during the first 4 h following start-up. Overall, HAA formation potential was better controlled by continuously operated filters, due to poor performance by the cyclical filters upon start-up while THM precursors were removed equally well by all filters. To understand the removal capacity for NDMA precursors through biological filters, both naturally occurring NDMA FP and NDMA FP resulting from spiked anthropogenic precursors was monitored through the filter depth. All the filters removed 90% of the naturally occurring NDMA FP within the first 45 cm; cyclical operation resulted in higher reduction of spiked anthropogenic NDMA precursors (50% higher than continuously operated) demonstrating the advantage of routine shut down on overall microbial activity.Tools to monitor and predict biofilter performance are in high demand. Here we present an “effective activity” term which combines enzyme activity with contact time (EBCT). Effective esterase activity was strongly correlated to DOC reduction as a function of filter operation (cyclical or continuous) and EBCT; effective phosphatase activity was indicative of phosphate removal. The results of this study indicate that routine shut down of the filters as this location improved enzyme activity without compromising control of chlorinated DBPs (THMs and HAAs) or NDMA derived from natural and anthropogenic precursors.

Structural Analysis of Water Quality Formation in an Urban Watercourse: Point, Non-Point, Transit, and Natural Components

The decomposition of water quality formation of city watercourse was carried out. The ratio of natural and anthropogenic (local and transit) components of the watercourse water quality were determined in the case of the Belaya River. The mass of pollutants entering the water body from Ufa City territory through sources of different categories, including point and non-point, was estimated. It was established that the ratio of pollutant masses from point and non-point sources varies in different phases of water regime, depending on the pollutant type. In the study, it is shown that the system of river water quality monitoring should be improved taking into account the features of its formation within urban territory.

ГИГИЕНИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ ВОДОПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ БАССЕЙНА ВЕРХНЕГО ДОНА

The purpose of the work was to justify the system of preventive measures to ensure hygienic and epidemiological safety of the population in the context of the impact of natural and technogenic factors in the Don water basin. The objects were the Don River, its tributaries, sources of drinking water supply. The water quality was assessed by hygienic and epidemiological safety indicators. The peculiarities of the formation of water quality in the Don River under the influence of technogenically altered tributaries within the industrialized city are revealed, which consist in reliable deterioration of sanitary, chemical and microbiological indicators. The monitoring system has been improved. On the basis of an assessment of the degree of sanitary and epidemiological reliability of water supply to the population, priority factors and indicators that significantly affect the quality of drinking water supplied to the consumer are identified. Based on the results of the research, a scientific substantiation of a set of measures for reducing the technogenic load on the Don River and ensuring the normative quality of drinking water was carried out.

Differences in feeding habits influence the growth performance and feeding efficiencies of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and lemon fin barb hybrid (Hypsibarbus wetmorei ♂ × Barboides gonionotus ♀) in a glycerol-based biofloc technology system versus a recirculating system

African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and lemon fin barb hybrid (LFBH) (Hypsibarbus wetmorei ♂ × Barbodes gonionotus ♀) were cultured in either a biofloc technology (BFT) system or an individual recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and their survival, growth, feeding efficiencies and biochemical composition were then compared after 8 weeks. LFBH and African catfish were chosen based on their different feeding habits. In the BFT treatments, glycerol was added to create a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 15, while the RAS system consisted of a fine mesh mechanical and biological filter. Each of the four treatments was triplicated, with each replicate consisting of 20 African catfish (0.98 ± 0.05 g) or LFBH (1.77 ± 0.02 g). Water quality and biofloc formation were examined weekly while the biofloc proximate composition was measured in weeks 5 and 8. During weeks 6, 7 and 8 the total viable bacterial colony forming units (CFU) were quantified. Regardless of species, biofloc formation was similar but the crude protein, lipid and ash significantly decreased from week 5 to week 8. However, biofloc crude protein and ash were significantly higher in the LFBH treatment. Total viable CFU were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in BFT compared to RAS, with LFBH having significantly more (P < 0.05) than African catfish. The proximate composition of the fish were unaffected by either system. Implementing BFT significantly (P < 0.05) improved both African catfish and LFBH growth, but this improvement was substantially higher for LFBH (41.6%) than for African catfish (7.6%). This may be due to a better ability of LFBH to consume smaller particles. Preliminary results also indicate that the nutritional composition of bioflocs could be influenced by biofloc age, which could have implications to solids management.

М. Просторово-часова закономірність формування якості води в річці Дніпро

М. Просторово-часова закономірність формування якості води в річці Дніпро

Оценка состояния поверхностных вод с применением многоразовых твердофазных полимерных индикаторов в полевых условиях

As a result of many years of economic activity, a large number of anthropogenic factors arise that change the dynamics of the transformation of the quality of surface waters. The growing deterioration in their quality is due to the long-term impact of various pollution sources (industrial production, road transport, agriculture, technogenic deposits, heat power facilities, oil and gas pipelines, etc.). However, a wide range of heavy metals enters the surface waters, along with the increase in macrocomponents during technogenic dispersion of toxicants. This requires a systemic evaluation of surface water. Modern methods are based on the use of devices that have been used up, recyclable or disposable paper sets with a perceptible range of error in the determination. In this paper, for the rapid analysis of the state of surface waters on the presence of heavy metals, solid-state polymer indicators were used. The possibility of non-laboratory application in practice of color solid-state polymeric indicators of reusable use, preserving shades of color for two years or more, is shown. Characteristics of indicators were studied in laboratory conditions and tested in the study of lake and river water in several Russian regions (Lake Valday, Polomet River, Onego Lake, etc.). The developed methodology is based on the testimony of four parameters: temperature, pH; The changed color of the polymer indicator, followed by a comparison of pH and color with the indicator’s reference scale; Of the total index of water pollution by heavy metals. Comparing the results with the indicators of the working scale, in which all four indicators are included, the estimation of the level of contamination by heavy metals of surface waters with high accuracy is carried out. In addition, this method makes it possible to establish the significant role of bottom sediments in the formation of surface water quality. The results of the carried out research make it possible to increase the number of observations in time and space and to obtain a significant amount of information base on the ecological state of water bodies during their monitoring.

Rola zbiorników małej retencji w kształtowaniu jakości wód powierzchniowych na Podlasiu

Rola zbiorników małej retencji w kształtowaniu jakości wód powierzchniowych na Podlasiu

IMPROVEMENT OF THE MODEL OF TRANSFORMATION OF NITROGEN-CONTAINING SUBSTANCES IN A WATER BODY FOR THE SOLUTION OF NATURE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM

In the article is considered the one of aspects of nature management regulation – an account of successive transformation of pollutants in a water body, that come with waste waters of industrial, municipal and agricultural enterprises. It is necessary at the determination of permissible pollutants emission with waste waters that doesn’t allow the excess of the permissible level of substances content in the control point of a water body. This problem is considered on the example of successive transformation of nitrogen-containing substances in the following transformation order: organic nitrogen – ammonium nitrogen - nitrite nitrogen – nitrate nitrogen. The topicality of the modeling of nitrogen-containing substances is conditioned by their role in water ecosystems functioning. At that existent mathematical models of natural water quality formation that take into account substances transformation contain the large number of unknown parameters. So, the use of such models in problems of nature management regulation is problematic, because identification of model parameters is a separate very complicated scientific problem. And existent models with relatively small number of parameters don’t take into account the natural pollution of water bodies, caused by the life activity of organisms; substance losses in the transformational chain are also possible. The improved matrix mathematical model of nitrogen-containing substances transformation without the indicated shortcomings is offered.