Estimation of Environmental State Small Rivers of the Voronezh Region

Author(s):  T.I. Prozhorina, candidate of Sciences, associate Professor, Voronezh State University, Voronezh, Russia

S.A. Kurolap, Dr., Prof., Voronezh State University, Voronezh, Russia, skurolap@mail.ru

T.V. Nagih, Voronezh State University, Voronezh, Russia

Issue:  Volume 42, № 2

Rubric:  Earth sciences

Annotation:  Anthropogenic pressure on water bodies is especially pronounced in small river basins in industrially developed and agricultural regions, including the Voronezh Region. Small watercourses are of great economic and recreational importance, but they are the most vulnerable and susceptible to external influences of the environment. At present, the state of small rivers in the region has deteriorated sharply, so they require special care and attention. One of the priority environmental problems in the region is the monitoring and control of the quality of natural waters, and measures to protect water resources in the region must include such a measure in general as the protection of small waterways from pollution and degradation. The aim of the work is to assess the ecological status of small rivers in the Voronezh Region on the basis of the results of chemical analysis. Ten small rivers flowing through the territory of six municipal districts of the region were chosen as research objects. Visual inspection of rivers has shown that under the influence of anthropogenic influences, the ecological status of small rivers in the Voronezh Region is deteriorating: eutrophication is observed; the riverbeds are very shallow, clouded by sand and mud, intensively overgrown with aquatic vegetation. The results of the chemical analysis showed that the investigated samples of river waters have unsatisfactory organoleptic characteristics, increased mineralization of water and general rigidity, general exceedances of total iron, ammonium and nitrite nitrogen were revealed.

Keywords:  small watercourses, ecological state of surface waters, organoleptic analysis,; hydrochemical analysis, water quality class, eutrophication of river waters, water protection measures

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