scholarly journals Use of Biotesting Methods for Assessing the Ecological Condition of Surface Waters

Purpose. Analysis of national and foreign experience in solving the problem of chemical pollution of surface waters and its economic consequences in accordance with the provisions of European legislation. Methods. System analysis. Results. Selection of the optimal set of biotesting methods for assessing the environmental consequences of chemical pollution of surface waters; study of the system of environmental liability, which operates in European and other foreign countries, and national regulations on the recovery of damages for violations of water legislation. The analysis of foreign and national sources on the use of biotesting techniques to assess the ecological status of surface waters and determine the toxic properties of water and chemicals. In world practice, a biotesting method is used to obtain data on the effects of hazardous toxic chemicals on aquatic ecosystems. Biotests are available and cheap (when using specially designed modifications for practical needs), do not require special training of performers and can be easily mastered in practical laboratories. Conclusions. To assess and control the quality of surface waters and their sources of pollution in accordance with the recommendations of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60 / EC, biotesting techniques are used using a "basic set of taxa" - algae, crustaceans and fish.

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Posthuma ◽  
Werner Brack ◽  
Jos van Gils ◽  
Andreas Focks ◽  
Christin Müller ◽  
...  

Abstract The ecological status of European surface waters may be affected by multiple stressors including exposure to chemical mixtures. Currently, two different approaches are used separately to inform water quality management: the diagnosis of the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems caused by nutrient loads and habitat quality, and assessment of chemical pollution based on a small set of chemicals. As integrated assessments would improve the basis for sound water quality management, it is recommended to apply a holistic approach to integrated water quality status assessment and management. This allows for estimating the relative contributions of exposure to mixtures of the chemicals present and of other stressors to impaired ecological status of European water bodies. Improved component- and effect-based methods for chemicals are available to support this. By applying those methods, it was shown that a holistic diagnostic approach is feasible, and that chemical pollution acts as a limiting factor for the ecological status of European surface waters. In a case study on Dutch surface waters, the impact on ecological status could be traced back to chemical pollution affecting individual species. The results are also useful as calibration of the outcomes of component-based mixture assessment (risk quotients or mixture toxic pressures) on ecological impacts. These novel findings provide a basis for a causal and integrated analysis of water quality and improved methods for the identification of the most important stressor groups, including chemical mixtures, to support integrated knowledge-guided management decisions on water quality.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Karczmarczyk

Abstract Hauled liquid waste as a pollutant of soils and waters in Poland. Improperly maintained holding tanks are often underestimated source of contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water. As a rule, wastewater stored in holding tanks, should be transported and treated in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). There are 2,257,000 holding tanks in Poland, located mainly in rural areas. The article presents the results of analysis of wastewater management in 20 rural and urban-rural communes, which were chosen at random from the total number of 2,174 communes in Poland. The only criterion of commune selection was total or partial lack of sewerage system. Analysis of the collected data showed that on average only 27% of liquid waste from holding tanks ended at the WWTPs. The median is even lower and amounts to 17.5%. More than 4,000 Mg of P and 26,000 Mg of N is dispersed in the environment in uncontrolled manner. Those diffuse point sources of pollution may be one of the reasons in the difficulty of achieving of good ecological status of rivers and affect the quality of the Baltic Sea.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Posthuma ◽  
Michiel C. Zijp ◽  
Dick De Zwart ◽  
Dik Van de Meent ◽  
Lidija Globevnik ◽  
...  

Abstract Aquatic ecosystems are affected by man-made pressures, often causing combined impacts. The analysis of the impacts of chemical pollution is however commonly separate from that of other pressures and their impacts. This evolved from differences in the data available for applied ecology vis-à-vis applied ecotoxicology, which are field gradients and laboratory toxicity tests, respectively. With this study, we demonstrate that the current approach of chemical impact assessment, consisting of comparing measured concentrations to protective environmental quality standards for individual chemicals, is not optimal. In reply, and preparing for a method that would enable the comprehensive assessment and management of water quality pressures, we evaluate various quantitative chemical pollution pressure metrics for mixtures of chemicals in a case study with 24 priority substances of Europe-wide concern. We demonstrate why current methods are sub-optimal for water quality management prioritization and that chemical pollution currently imposes limitations to the ecological status of European surface waters. We discuss why management efforts may currently fail to restore a good ecological status, given that to date only 0.2% of the compounds in trade are considered in European water quality assessment and management.


Author(s):  
Abuzer Çelekli ◽  
Hamdullah Arslanargun

Diatom metrics can be used to identify the ecological status of water bodies due to their good responses to anthropogenic disturbances. Our study is aimed to use diatom metrics developed from different ecoregions for assessing the ecological status of 11 surface waters in the south-east of the Gaziantep catchment (Turkey). Ecological characterizations of the sampling stations were introduced by Trophic Index Turkey (TIT), Trophic Index (TI), and Eutrophication and/or Pollution Index-Diatom (EPI-D). According to TIT and TI, Karkamış Reservoir had a good ecological condition while it had high ecological status based on EPI-D. This good ecological condition was approved by the presence of pollution sensitive species (e.g., Cymbella affinis, Encyonema minutum, E. silesiacum, Cymbopleura amphicephala, and Navicula radiosa) and relatively low nutrients. Kayacık (TIT ranging 3.15–3.23) and Hancağız (TIT = 3.35) reservoirs had poor and bad ecological conditions, respectively. High nutrient, conductivity, and pollution-tolerant species (e.g., Nitzschia amphibia, N. palea, N. umbonata, N. linearis, N. phyllepta, Tryblionella calida, and Pinnularia brebissonii) supported the ecological statuses of the Hancağız and Kayacık reservoirs. The first two axes of canonical correspondence analysis explained 0.943 of relationships between diatom species and explanatory variables. Explanatory variables, e.g., calcium, conductivity, orthophosphate, nitrate, nitrite, sodium, pH, and sulfur, had strong impacts on the distribution of diatom assemblages among the sampling stations. TIT and TI separated ecological statuses of sampling stations in the south-east of the Gaziantep catchment, which correlated well with the evidence of water chemistry and response of diatom assemblages.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (66) ◽  
pp. 33-61
Author(s):  
V Kozak ◽  
◽  
A Tovmachenko ◽  
M Gertsiuk ◽  
◽  
...  

The main sources of chemical pollution of surface water bodies of Ukraine are shown and it is noted that the ecosystem of the environment and water resources, being under constant man-caused load, tend to steadily deteriorate the ecological condition. Methods for assessing the quality of surface waters using the maximum allowable concentrations of harmful substances in water and a comprehensive assessment of the ecological status of surface water by integrated hydrochemical parameters are described. International approaches to the assessment of the state of surface water bodies are considered. It is noted that the most complete information on the state of the aquatic ecosystem can be obtained using a set of physicochemical and biological parameters. There are shortcomings in the monitoring of organic micro-pollutants in surface waters. The analysis of the international experience of determination of water quality and parameters of toxicological action of organic micro-pollutants with application of chemo-informative methods for modeling of an ecological condition of water systems is carried out.


Author(s):  
Larysa Hurets ◽  
Olena Vakarchuk ◽  
Inna Trunova ◽  
Roman Ponomarenko ◽  
Eleonora Darmofal ◽  
...  

The article presents an analysis of water monitoring organization in the Sumy region. The reform of water resources management has placed the main burden on the implementation of the state water policy and ensuring the proper ecological condition of the water basin at the regional level of management. The European approach in the field of water resources management pays attention to water monitoring, which is an integral part of the state system of environmental monitoring in Ukraine. An analysis of implementation the basin principle in the region had been conducted. There are two sub-basins in the region: Desna Sub-Basin and Middle Dnieper Sub-Basin. Within the Desna sub-basin 121 massifs of surface waters have been identified, within the middle Dnieper sub-basin 230 massifs have been identified. The analysis of monitoring data on the state of surface waters, on the organization of monitoring of transboundary watercourses is carried out. The study found that farms have a significant impact on the condition of rivers. Due to the aggravation of the political situation, monitoring of transboundary watercourses is carried out only on the territory of Ukraine. The beginning of the introduction of a new approach to monitoring in Sumy region lays the foundations for the accumulation, systematization of data on the state of surface water bodies with the subsequent possibility of analyzing the existing situation with effective management decisions to achieve "good" ecological status of river basins.


Author(s):  
O. V. Mudrik ◽  
R. P. Paranyak ◽  
O. V. Matsuska

There is studied the ecological status of surface waters in Busk district. The attention is focused on the largest river Western Bug and its tributaries which essentially influence on the ecological condition. The analysis of hydrological monitoring in the basin of the Western Bug is done. Analysis of water pollution in the river is performed with use of fixed position state hydrological monitoring system posts. There are studied the data concerning pollution indicators for 2015 year and 3 seasons of 2016. A comparison of contamination in two points outside the district is carried out. There are considered river Poltva before its waters reach the district and flow into Western Bug and the river Western Bug after it lefts the district. The exceeding of the threshold limit values for some indicators is revealed. In all cases there is a slight excess of the TLV over the content of iron and ammonium ions. In Poltva have been considerable (3–6 times) exceeding the TLV for COD and BOD5, ammonium salt 8.4 times, total iron – 4.3 times, nitrites – in 6.75 times, suspended solids – 3.3 times, phenol – at 2.45 times. Therefore, the section of the city Buzka to the city Kamenka–Bug, Radekhiv bridge river water is not suitable for any water use. The self–cleaning of the water is happening within the district is and the second point of monitoring shows these indicators are within limits. The largest source of organic pollutants and nutrients into Western Bug River is the river Poltva. Insufficiently treated sewage of Lviv increases the level of water contamination. In the district however there are also a source of pollution of surface water with ions of ammonium and iron. For their identification the further observation are required.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees J. M. Kramer ◽  
Frank Sleeuwaert ◽  
Guy Engelen ◽  
Christin Müller ◽  
Werner Brack ◽  
...  

Abstract Chemical pollution of water bodies is a complex problem around the globe. When described by the extremes of the range of problem definitions, water bodies can be chemically polluted by a single compound that is emitted from a point source or an incidental spill, or by chronic diffuse emissions from local and upstream land uses. The resulting mixture exposures can vary in space and time, e.g. due to the use of pesticides in the crop growing season. The environmental management objectives are commonly to protect and restore surface waters against human influences. Currently, chemical pollution is globally judged for a selected set of compounds, by judging each of these individually in comparison with protective environmental quality standards. Research has provided a novel assessment paradigm (solution-focused risk assessment) and novel data, measurement methods and models to improve on current practices. Their adoption and application require establishing novel linkages between the diverse problem definitions and the novel approaches. That would assist water quality professionals to select the most effective option or options to protect and restore water quality. The present paper introduces the RiBaTox (River Basin Specific Toxicants assessment and management) web tool. It consists of short descriptions of the novel approaches (made available as Additional file 1) and a decision tree for end-users to select those. The overview of novel approaches collated in RiBaTox is relevant for end-users ranging from local water quality experts up till strategic policy developers. Although RiBaTox was developed in the context of European water quality problems, the methods provided by RiBaTox are relevant for users from (inter)national to local scales. This paper is part of a series of Policy Briefs from the EU-FP7 project SOLUTIONS (http://www.solutions-project.eu), which provide backgrounds on chemical pollution of surface waters and policy practices and proposed improvements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2964
Author(s):  
Gregor Braun ◽  
Claudia Som ◽  
Mélanie Schmutz ◽  
Roland Hischier

The textile industry is recognized as being one of the most polluting industries. Thus, the European Union aims to transform the textile industry with its “European Green Deal” and “Circular Economy Action Plan”. Awareness regarding the environmental impact of textiles is increasing and initiatives are appearing to make more sustainable products with a strong wish to move towards a circular economy. One of these initiatives is wear2wearTM, a collaboration consisting of multiple companies aiming to close the loop for polyester textiles. However, designing a circular product system does not lead automatically to lower environmental impacts. Therefore, a Life Cycle Assessment study has been conducted in order to compare the environmental impacts of a circular with a linear workwear jacket. The results show that a thoughtful “circular economy system” design approach can result in significantly lower environmental impacts than linear product systems. The study illustrates at the same time the necessity for Life Cycle Assessment practitioners to go beyond a simple comparison of one product to another when it comes to circular economy. Such products require a wider system analysis approach that takes into account multiple loops, having interconnected energy and material flows through reuse, remanufacture, and various recycling practices.


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