Tomasz Kowalik

VARIABILITY OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY POPRAD RIVER

The results of five-year (2008–2012) hydrochemical research of the Poprad river, the right bank tributary to the Dunajec, were analyzed in the paper. The Poprad, 167 km long and with the catchment area of 2077.3 km2, flows for over 100 km through the territory of Slovakia, along the length of 31.1 km is a transboundary river, whereas its 31.0 km long reach is situated in Poland. Concerning its abiotic character, it is an eastern upland river of type 15. The research was conducted in three measurement-control points: 1) located in Leluchow on the Polish-Slovak border at 61.1 kilometer of the river course, 2) in Piwniczna-Zdroj – 23.9 km and 3) in Stary Sącz – 2.9 km before the Poprad outlet to the Dunajec. 21 physicochemical indices and 2 microbiological indicators were assessed in the water samples once a month using referential methods. The paper assesses changes of water quality classes and its usable values along the analyzed Poprad river reach. Moreover, statistical differences between the values of individual indices assessed in various measurement-control points were estimated by means of Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test. On the basis of the conducted analyses of the empirical data it was stated that due to the physicochemical indices, water quality along the whole length of the analyzed river reach was good (class II) – in points 1 and 3 it was determined by mean concentration of total suspended solids, whereas in point 2 COD-Mn values.

RAINWATER MANAGEMENT IN PROTECTED AREAS

The aim of the study was to find out whether the climate of southern Poland allows for removing rainwater from industrial areas by evaporation from roof surfaces. The study covered the premises of a Logistics Centre with an approximate area of 34 hectares, located in the catchment of the Wedonka stream and in the region of water intake for Kraków at the Rudawa river. In the future, the Centre will comprise nine large warehouses. Road traffic associated with the project will cause potential risks for groundwater and surface water of this protected area. Therefore, the Centre’s investor decided to evaporate rainwater from the premises. To establish advisability of this plan, the study team designed and built a unique experimental station consisting of experimental roof, a tank for collecting water for the sprinkler system, system for delivering, distributing and discharging water from the roof, measuring tilt tray, automatic meteorological station, and electronic devices for recording measurement data. The research on the experimental station was carried out from April to October in 2011 and 2012 and included continuous measurements of the volume of water supplied to and discharged from the roof. Moreover, the temperature of the roof and water in the tank and the number of important meteorological parameters were measured. The difference between supplied and discharged water, divided by the wetted surface of the roof, helped to determine thickness of the evaporation layer in millimeters. The study confirmed the possibility of removing potentially contaminated rainwater by evaporating it from roof surfaces of the Logistics Centre located near Kraków at an average rate of 5.9 dm3·m–2·d–1. However, due to high seasonal variability of rainfall and air temperature, it is necessary to temporarily collect water in an expansion tank of suitable capacity.

SEASONAL VARIABILITY OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF WATER QUALITY ON LENGTH OF USZWICA RIVER

The Uszwica river catchment is located in the central part of Lesser Poland province, within Brzeski and Bochenski districts. The river is 61.2 km long, and its catchment area is 322.5 km2. It is characterized by forest-agricultural land use and high share of residential areas of both compact (the city of Brzesko) and dispersed nature. In the abiotic terms, the Uszwica in its upper course may be classified as a flysch stream (type 12). From the moment of joining the Niedźwiedź, stream until its discharge into the Vistula at km 151+700 it is a sand and clay lowland river (type 19). Hydrochemical research were conducted in the years 2011 and 2012 at two measurement-control points – one located near the mouth of the river (point 1) and one located about 7.5 km downstream from the city of Brzesko (point 2). Each month 18 water quality parameters were determined and they underwent comparative and statistical analyses. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated for both measurement-control points. Then, they were used to determine the ecological potential of the river and to evaluate water quality parameters with respect to its suitability as fish habitat and eutrophication risk. Significance of differences between the values of individual parameters recorded at different measurement-control points was estimated using non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test for α = 0.05. The same test was used to determine the significance of differences between individual parameters for the winter and summer season at each point. Analysis of the results revealed that water flowing via developed areas (point 2) was significantly less saturated with oxygen and contained higher amounts of suspended solids, organic matter and nutrients, as compared to the section of the river flowing mainly through extensively used agricultural areas. Therefore, the ecological potential of the river was considered good in its lower course and poor upstream from point 2. Disturbances in seasonal concentrations of some biogenic factors indicated high degree of water pollution in the middle course of the Uszwica. However, due to intense self-purification, water quality in the lower course was similar to that in natural conditions. On the entire investigated section of the Uszwica does not meet water quality requirements for salmonids and cyprinids, but the habitats are more favorable near the mouth of the river. Water assessed at point 2 may be classified as eutrophic due to high concentration of total phosphorus.

VARIABILITY OF VALUES OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL WATER QUALITY INDICES ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE IWONICZANKA STREAM

The paper aims at presentation of the effect of changes in the catchment area management on the value of water quality physicochemical indices along the length of the Iwoniczanka stream, which flows through Iwonicz-Zdrój, one of the oldest health resorts in Poland. Analyses of 14 water quality indices were conducted from November 2013 to May 2014 in five measurement points: two situated in the upper course of the stream – in forest areas, two located in the area of Iwonicz-Zdrój town, and one below the rural built-up area. On the basis of the conducted data analysis it was found that the mean values of pH, electrolytic conductivity, sulphates, calcium, total iron and manganese were increasing with the course of flowing water, as evidenced by the water enrichment in substances which had their sources in built-up areas. On average, the highest values of biogenic indices and chlorides but the lowest values of oxygen indices were registered immediately below the location of drain collector from the closed sewage treatment plant, which resulted in pollution of the analysed stream bed with the substances previously drained from the treatment plant. Water flowing through the forest areas had the maximum ecological potential in the built-up areas and due to phosphate concentrations it was classified to class II and then, due to self-purification, returned to the physicochemical parameters appropriate for class I water. The conducted hydro-chemical tests confirmed a significant negative effect of built-up areas on the quality of the flowing waters.

THE EFFECT OF TREATED SEWAGE OUTFLOW FROM A MODERNIZED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ON WATER QUALITY OF THE BREŃ RIVER

The paper aimed at determining the effect of treated sewage discharged from a sewage treatment plant, modernized in 2007–2008, on the quality of the receiving water – the Bren river. The mechanical-biological sewage treatment plant is situated in the northern part of Dąbrowa Tarnowska town (Malopolskie voivodship). The treated sewage is disposed of by means of a collecting pipe to the Bren river, which abiotically is a lowland sandy stream, type 17. The hydrochemical analyses were conducted monthly, from May 2014 to April 2015 in three measurement points. The first and the third were situated on the Bren river, 30 m above and 400 m below the treated sewage outlet respectively, whereas the second one was on the outflow collecting pipe from the sewage treatment plant. In the analysed water, 17 physicochemical water quality indices were determined by means of reference methods. On the basis of the data analysis it was found that pollutant concentrations in the treated sewage discharged into the Bren river did not exceed the values stated in the water permit and only sporadically did not meet the requirements stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Environment regarding ammonium nitrogen concentrations in the winter-spring period. Slight dynamics of seasonal changes of physicochemical indices values in the treated sewage evidences a high proficiency of the sewage treatment plant operation, irrespective of the air or water temperature. The treated sewage affected the increase in 12 from among 17 analysed physicochemical indices in the Bren river, of which the dependencies were statistically significant in 8 cases. BOD5 and ammonium nitrate caused a change of water quality class from I to II, and in case of phosphates a decline of ecological state from very good to below good. Despite a negative effect of the sewage treatment plant, the water quality state in the Bren river would be much worse if untreated municipal waste flowed into the receiving water.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, PERMEABILITY AND RETENTIVENESS OF SILT LOAM AND ITS COMPOSITES WITH SAND FOR CONSTRUCTING CARRYING LAYER OF A FOOTBALL FIELD

Physical and water properties of silt loam from the area of planned football field were tested and compared with analogous properties of several composites made in laboratory conditions from the collected material with a dominant sand share. The research was conducted in a view of silt loam and its composites usefulness for constructing a carrying layer of football fields. Water permeability of silt loam and composites, as well as retention abilities were tested. The created composites met the water permeability requirements specified by DIN 18035 standard for constructing carrying layer of football fields. On the other hand, silt loam without sand admixture did not meet the requirements, but revealed a high retention capacity and water availability to plants. Among the composites the best retention capacity characterised the mixtures with the biggest content of silt loam, but the best water availability was registered in composites with medium content of silt loam from the football field area. The obtained results may be useful for more precise determination of the standards for grain size distribution of the composites used for constructing the carrying layer of a football field.